New World Alliance
by BlueTiger321
Summary: The Storm Hawks and the Cyclonians get transported to a new world. In order to get back to Atmos, they must team up with a group they just met. Will the Storm Hawks beat the Cyclonians, save the new world and get back home?
1. Chapter 1: Ambushed

Chapter 1: Ambushed

BlueTiger321: Hello everyone, this is BlueTiger321 back with my latest story,_ New World Alliance_. For those of you who have read my previous story you should know what it is, but for those of you who don't, this is a crossover between _Storm Hawks_ and _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. Now before the story begins, some legal stuff: _Storm Hawks_ and all its characters is property of Nerd Corps, and _Avatar _and all its characters is property of Nickelodeon. I thank you for taking interest in my story and I hope you enjoy it.

The skies of Atmos shone blue while clouds passed along through the wind. This world was home to many different people of different species all living on mountaintop kingdoms known as terras. Not all was peaceful in this world since many different dangers were scattered throughout Atmos that would threaten each individual's way of life. That is why on each terra there is always a group of people willing to risk their lives to protect the innocent. Those groups are referred to as Sky Knight squadrons.

With each squadron protecting a home terra, there was always one travelling across Atmos lending aid wherever it was needed. This squadron was now flying over Atmos in its legendary airship. It was a large vessel that had two pontoons with a blue hawk insignia painted on each side and a runway down the middle leading to a large rising door. On the top was the bridge that had large windows and a balcony on the front. The stern of the ship was where the boosters exhaled blue energy and the ship's rudder was at the top with the same blue hawk insignia. This ship was named the _Condor_, and it was home to the Sky Knight squadron known as the Storm Hawks.

The bridge was where each of the squad members was at the moment occupied with something different. The Sky Knight and leader of the team was looking out the windows. He was a fourteen-year-old boy with red, spiky hair and green eyes dressed in red and blue and wearing brown boots with brown and black gloves. The boy's name was Aerrow, the youngest Sky Knight recorded in the history of Atmos.

Standing next to Aerrow was his co-pilot, which was an animal that looked like a cross between a weasel and a monkey with sky blue fur and bare paws showing his purple skin. Over his fur he wore a blue and purple shirt to make himself feel like part of the team. This animal was called Radarr, and he gave a small chirp as he smiled up at Aerrow.

At the table in the centre sat the navigator and tactician of the Storm Hawks. It was a fourteen-year-old girl with chocolate brown skin. Her bluish, black hair was kept up using a yellow hair band that matched her eyes. She wore a slim blue dress with yellow sleeves, long dark blue gloves that only covered her middle and ring fingers, and brown boots. Her name was Piper and she was examining a chart while holding a crystal in each hand.

The marksman of the Storm Hawks was listening to his own music while playing air guitar. The fourteen-year-old boy had spiky blonde hair and blue eyes, and he wore a blue and yellow outfit with blue fingerless gloves and brown boots. The boy's name was Finn and he could also be described as the 'joker' of the group.

The strongman and mechanic of the group was standing over by some pipes while turning a valve. It was a rhinoceros-humanoid called a Wallop with gray eyes and hair, and light tan skin. The Wallop was fourteen years old and was wearing a green and brown suit with blue pants and blue fingerless gloves while his hooved feet remained bare. His name was Junko, and he happily worked on his repairs.

The last member of the group was the helmsman, and he was busy flying the _Condor_. It was a green-skinned humanoid called a Merb. He appeared to be in his twenties with black hair going down the right side of his face and black eyes with yellow irises. He wore a brown suit with hints of blue, brown fingerless gloves, two earrings on his left rabbit-like ear, an X-shaped armour plate over his chest and his three-toed feet remained bare. His name was Stork, and he was known to be the paranoid one.

Aerrow looked over to the helmsman and said, "So, how are we doing, Stork?"

"Everything seems perfectly fine," replied Stork, "although I have been feeling a familiar rash for some time now. You better hope it's not contagious." Stork proceeded by scratching the back of his neck.

Aerrow looked at Stork oddly, thinking it was just his hypochondria again. Rather than pursue it further, he nodded and stepped back. He proceeded by walking over to the table to talk to his navigator.

"What are you doing there, Piper?" he asked.

The girl looked up to the boy and said, "Same old, same old. I'm just testing to see if these crystals are compatible with each other." Piper brought the two crystals in her hand together and they both glowed in blue and red light. She smiled upon seeing the reaction, which meant the two of them could be combined.

Aerrow smiled back at her. It was always good to see that the person he trusted the most was always prepared for any situation. The Sky Knight then walked over to the sharpshooter next and saw he was still doing the same thing last time: listening to music.

Aerrow tapped Finn on the shoulder to get his attention, causing him to stop what he was doing and remove his headphones.

"Oh, hey Aerrow," said Finn. "How's it hangin'?"

"I'm good Finn," replied Aerrow. "I hope you remembered to finish all your chores today."

Finn gave his trademark pistol fingers to Aerrow and said, "Yup. I cleaned the hallway, stacked the boxes and took out the trash. Nothing gets past me."

"Great. Did you also remember to scrub the dishes?"

Finn looked at Aerrow confusedly. "Dishes?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Aerrow. "It's your turn to scrub the dishes today."

"But, why can't Piper do the dishes today? I mean, it's not like she's doing anything important right now."

Piper stood up in protest after hearing Finn's remark. "Oh yeah," she said, "and your air guitar takes precedence over my crystal research? Besides, I did the dishes yesterday."

"Sorry, Finn," said Aerrow. "Rules are rules."

Finn knew that he couldn't win this argument, so he merely groaned in annoyance and walked out of the bridge to finish his chores. Aerrow always saw the sibling relationship between Piper and Finn, and he always had to intervene before things got worse.

The last stop for Aerrow was to talk to the ship's mechanic. "How's the ship, Junko?" he said.

Junko gave a slight groan just as he finished tightening a bolt around a pipe. While wiping some sweat from his brow, he turned to Aerrow and said, "She's good as knew, Aerrow." No sooner did Junko say that when steam started to leak out from a pipe. Junko turned around and opened his eyes in shock. He acted fast by tightening another bolt until the leak finally stopped.

Junko turned back to Aerrow and laughed slightly in embarrassment. "...Still a little work to be done," he said while rubbing the back of his head.

Aerrow smiled back at Junko, knowing that he had the situation under control. Something brushed Aerrow's leg so he looked down and saw his furry co-pilot. Radarr chirped at Aerrow and gave him a thumb's up to let the Sky Knight know that everything was fine with him.

"Thanks, Radarr," said Aerrow.

Aerrow was lucky to have these five individuals as his teammates. Together they had gotten out of impossible situations, saved many innocent lives, and explored the far reaches of Atmos. The boy Sky Knight knew he could depend on his team through thick and thin, and he wouldn't have them any other way.

* * *

Not far from the _Condor_, another airship emerged from the clouds. This airship was gigantic in comparison to the _Condor_. The outer hull was painted red with hints of silver. Many large cannons were placed on the ship's bow while a bridge was at the top. The stern had large boosters where red energy exited. Each side of the ship had a symbol depicting a red, menacing raven. The ship slowly approached the _Condor_ stealthily through the sky.

Inside the ship were many individuals all dressed the same. Their red and dark green outfits had the same red raven insignia on their chest, and their gray helmets were added with red goggles over their eyes. These people were known as Talons, and they were servants to the most hated nation in Atmos called Cyclonia.

One of the Talons was looking through a periscope. He moved around until he stopped over the _Condor_. The Talon smirked as he brought the periscope back to the ceiling, knowing the target had finally been spotted. He then turned his back and bowed before saying, "The _Condor_ is within view, Master."

The person to whom the Talon was talking was standing in the bridge's centre. The individual was concealed by a hood worn over a dark red cloak with the Cyclonian insignia in silver over the chest. The hood pulled back to reveal a fourteen year old girl with short black hair, purple eyes and a mole underneath her left eye. The girl was known as Master Cyclonis, the ruler over Cyclonia, and she smiled devilishly upon hearing the news.

"Excellent," she said.

She turned to her right and saw a group standing together. The first one was a man who looked to be in his late twenties. He was clothed in a red and dark green outfit with various pieces of armour covering his body. The plate over his chest had the Cyclonian insignia painted red that matched his eyes. Over his head was a metal headpiece that only covered his forehead and the sides of his face while his black hair stuck out from the top. Attached to his back was his weapon, a double-bladed sword with a firebolt crystal connected to the tip of the hilt. This man was known as Dark Ace, the elite commander over the Talons and Cyclonis's most loyal follower.

The next person was a woman in her late twenties who was dressed in a fuchsia-coloured outfit with brown high heel boots and armour pads covering her shoulders. Her pink hair was held back while her bangs hung loosely to the sides of her face and matched the colour of her lips, and her piercing yellow eyes had a look of sadism to them. This woman was known as Ravess, the Cyclonian commander in charge of Terra Bluster.

Standing next to Ravess was a burly man with purple hair and eyes dressed in a dark purple shirt and dark green pants that were covered with various pieces of orange armour. His left hand was covered in a dark purple, fingerless glove while his right hand had a dark green glove completely covering it. This man was known as Snipe, Ravess's dim-witted brother and the Cyclonian commander over Terra Nimbus.

The remainder of the group consisted of lizard-humanoid figures called Raptors. The leader of them was tall and muscular with dark brown, scaly skin and had menacing reptilian eyes. He was dressed in a tan-coloured vest and pants that sported armour pieces with white spikes. This Raptor's name was Repton, the most cunning of the group.

The Raptors standing next to Repton were dressed similarly to him. They were his minions as well as his brothers: Hoerk, the largest of them all with green scales; Lugey, the portly and moronic one with yellow scales; and Spitz, the shortest of them all with tan-coloured scales.

Dark Ace stepped to face Cyclonis and said, "What will you have us do, Master?"

"We take the Storm Hawks by surprise," she replied. "Once they are distracted, I will move in and finish them off with this." Cyclonis then extended her hand from within her cloak. There sitting in her palm was a large green crystal shaped like a sphere.

Repton hissed as he said, "What kind of crystal is that?"

"You'll see," said Cyclonis. "This is something that will finally get rid of the Storm Hawks once and for all."

All the others smirked upon hearing the plan. It would be their chance for getting back at the Storm Hawks after they had ruined their previous schemes.

Snipe rubbed his hands together and said, "Send the Storm Hawks packing? I like the sound of that!"

"Indeed," agreed Ravess. "They've been a thorn in our side for far too long."

"I'm glad you all agree," said Cyclonis. She turned back to the front and issued an order to the Talons. "Approach their ship and get ready to attack the Storm Hawks!"

The Talon nodded with glee as he pressed a button on the control pad. In an instant, the Cyclonian airship raised its cannons and aimed them right at the _Condor_. The opposing ship was within range, and the Talon at the helm picked up a microphone.

"Fire!" he shouted.

The cannons sent numerous red shots towards the _Condor_, but only managed to get one hit. Now the ones in the ship would be made aware of the Cyclonian's presence.

Back in the _Condor_, all the Storm Hawks were jolted after they felt the assault. Aerrow, Piper and Stork barely managed to stand still while Junko fell on his rear and Radarr fell forward with his eyes rolling in his sockets. The _Condor's_ sirens were blazing just after the hit, sending red lights flashing and a buzzing sound throughout the ship.

Finn in the kitchen was also trying to keep still after feeling the shock while holding a plate in his hands. It almost slipped out of his grip, but he caught it just before it hit the floor. The sharpshooter breathed a sigh of relief after he prevented a disaster.

Back in the bridge, Aerrow brought down a periscope to see what hit them. Through the device, Aerrow could see a large, familiar looking ship and he knew who was responsible.

"Cyclonians," Aerrow said with a hint of fury. He brought the periscope back up while Piper joined him.

"What could they want with us now?" said Piper.

"I don't know, but anything involving the Cyclonians is never good."

Stork kept steering and said, "Well, if you're not busy then could you deal with them..." His tone quickly turned to one of panic when he concluded, "...before we're all blown to kingdom come?!"

"Everyone, to your rides!" Aerrow shouted over the intercom.

Finn was surprised to hear the command so he screamed in fright and dropped the plate, sending it crashing to pieces. The teenage boy was frustrated to see his work become ruined, but he brushed it off as he ran out of the kitchen.

All the Storm Hawks except Stork were now in the hangar bay. They had now donned their armour and taken their weapons since they were headed to fight the Cyclonians.

Parked within the hangar bay were everyone's own personal rides they used when engaged in battle. Aerrow had jumped onto his Air Skimmer III Ultra while Radarr joined him in the co-pilot's seat. Piper seated herself in her Heliscooter, Finn landed in his Air Skimmer III and Junko sat on his Air Skimmer III EL. Whenever faced with opposition, each Storm Hawk always relied on their ride.

"Let's show the Cyclonians what we're made of!" Aerrow shouted with enthusiasm.

His fellow teammates all shouted, "Yeah!" as they raised their fists into the air. The hangar bay door opened and all the Storm Hawks revved their rides. They all sped off with Aerrow in the lead. The Skimmers all drove off the edge and their special functions were activated, enabling them to fly. Aerrow, Finn and Junko's Skimmers all deployed wings on the sides while Piper's Heliscooter deployed rotors on the top and in the rear.

The Storm Hawks were greeted with an army of Talons riding their Switchblades. They all smirked since they knew what was going to happen to the Sky Knight squadron.

Aerrow didn't pay any mind to what the Talons were thinking. Instead, he pointed one of his hands and shouted, "Scramble!"

Aerrow's team all split up while the Talons chased after them. This was what Aerrow expected so now the enemies were divided and couldn't work systematically.

Each Storm Hawk held their own against the Talons. Aerrow drew his dual energy daggers and jumped from his skimmer, landing on a Switchblade and using his weapons to damage the engine. The Talon screamed in terror and was forced to abandon his ride, deploying his parachute. The Sky Knight jumped into the air between two more Switchblades and cut off their wings, causing the Talons to also parachute from their destroyed rides. Aerrow landed back on his Skimmer with Radarr taking control. Both the Sky Knight and co-pilot gave a high five before riding back into battle.

Piper had fitted her staff with a frost crystal, and aimed it at a Switchblade's engine. She fired a shot, freezing the engine and leaving the Talon with no power. The ride suddenly dropped from the Talon's feet and left him dangling in the air before he finally deployed his chute. Piper laughed at what she had done and sped off.

Finn brought up the retractable crossbow from his Skimmer. In front of him were five Talons who all deployed their blasters and were firing at the marksman. Finn avoided each shot and once he had the chance, he did a barrel roll and fired a volley of bolts at the Talons. The Talons tried to flee as soon as they saw the bolts coming toward them, but each shot hit the Switchblades perfectly, causing them to stall and slip from the Talon's grips. All five deployed their chutes as they headed for the Wastelands.

Finn held up his trademark pistol fingers as he said, "Chicka-cha!"

Junko was speeding towards a Talon who glared at him. The Wallop only glared back as he soon had a plan. Neither one showed any signs of fear as they both got closer. Just when they were about to crash, both Junko and the Talon turned on their sides as they barely came in contact. The Talon looked back at Junko to see what happened, and the Wallop looked at the Talon as well. Suddenly, Junko brought his hands forward and smiled to reveal he was holding a pair of boosters. Junko had used his Wallop strength to pull them off as he got close to the Switchblade. The Talon was left confused to see what Junko was holding and turned back to his stern. There, he saw that his boosters were missing so his ride had no thrust. The Talon soon frowned as he realised his Switchblade was now falling so he was forced to jump and deploy his chute.

Junko threw away the boosters and said, "Better luck next time."

All the Storm Hawks had now rejoined with each other. They cheered after getting rid of so many Talons but there was something bugging Aerrow. "Why would the Cyclonians suddenly attack us?" he said.

"So you'll be dealt with for good!" said a familiar voice.

The Storm Hawks turned around to see who said it. There in front of them were their adversaries. Dark Ace and Ravess were riding on their Talon Switchblade Elites, Snipe was riding on his Heli-Blade Elite, and the Raptors were riding on their Bone Wings. All the enemies of the Storm Hawks laughed as soon as they came into view.

"Dark Ace!" Aerrow said in anger. His teammates all stood there aghast to see their most powerful enemies clustered together.

"You've stood in our way for the last time, Storm Hawks," said Dark Ace, "so now we'll be putting you out of commission!"

The Storm Hawks all sped forward while each of their enemies picked their targets. Dark Ace went after Aerrow, the Raptors went after Piper, Ravess went after Finn and Snipe went after Junko.

Aerrow and Dark Ace met head on as they both drew their weapons. The blue energy of Aerrow's daggers sparked as they clashed with the red energy of Dark Ace's double-bladed sword. They were now side by side trying to slash at the other. Radarr was ducking in his seat so as not to get hit by either weapon. He couldn't sit there and do nothing as he watched his friend being attacked, so he reached into his seat to find something. Looking frantically, he pulled out a wrench and chirped in delight. While Dark Ace was busy, Radarr threw the wrench his way and the Talon commander had barely managed to duck it. That was Aerrow's opportunity to get close so he jumped from his Skimmer onto Dark Ace's Switchblade.

"You need to pay more attention," Aerrow said boastingly with his daggers pointed at Dark Ace.

"Not bad, Aerrow," said Dark Ace. He jumped up and stood in front of Aerrow with his sword ignited. "But I'm just getting started!"

Meanwhile, Piper was outnumbered by the Raptors four against one. Her Heliscooter flew as fast as it could away from the pursuing enemies, but it was no match against the Bone Wings. All the Raptors laughed as they figured they had the girl on the run.

Repton pulled out his boomerang and ignited it, giving it a yellow glow. "Why don't we have some fun with her?" he said to his brothers.

Spitz spoke with a lisp as he said, "Good thinking, bosssss. We'll play cat and mousssse."

"Uh... can I be the cat? I love kitty cats," said Lugey.

"Put a cork in it!" said Hoerk.

Repton's brothers all got out their double-sided swords and ignited them. Now Piper knew she was in trouble as she gasped. The Raptors were still chasing her, but she soon remembered about something she had taken with her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small orange crystal. At that moment, Repton was getting ready to throw his boomerang, and Piper merely smiled at that. The boomerang soared from Repton's claws as he threw it, making Piper his target. Piper got as close as she could and held the crystal in front of her. The crystal made a small shield in front of Piper and deflected the boomerang.

Repton watched in disbelief as his own weapon was coming back to him, but he pulled his ride away in time. Unfortunately for his brothers, they didn't see it coming as it crashed into the side of Lugey's ride and made him collide into Spitz and then into Hoerk. Repton caught his boomerang and then growled in anger as he saw his brothers were temporarily out of the battle.

"Looks like it's just you and me," said Piper.

Repton wasn't pleased at all as he soon chased after Piper again, but was now taking the battle more seriously.

Finn was looking for his next target when he suddenly heard violin music coming from behind him. He turned his head around with eyes wide open as he recognised the tune. There behind him was a Talon playing the violin while Ravess was beside him getting her bow ready.

Finn brought his ride around quickly so he could meet Ravess. The marksman narrowed his eyes when his retractable crossbow was ready. With the lenses set up, he fired a bolt while Ravess fired her arrow. The two projectiles sped towards each other and collided, causing a small explosion.

Both Finn and Ravess were forced to flee before they got caught in the explosion. Ravess was the first to retaliate as she fired one arrow after another. One arrow managed to hit the stern of Finn's Skimmer. He felt the blow and turned his head.

"Hey!" he shouted. "I just got new parts for this!"

Finn made a cowardly scream and ducked as more arrows were shot from Ravess. He knew that things weren't going good for him and he had a feeling it was only going to get worse.

Junko looked at Snipe with rage in his eyes. Ever since the battle at Terra Glockenchime when Snipe called him a gleep, he's always held a grudge against him. Snipe laughed as he swung his mace in the air and the ball was being held onto the hilt by a chain.

"Let's see how you make it out of this!" yelled Snipe.

The ball of Snipe's mace was then thrust forward, causing Junko to dodge and it barely scratched his Skimmer. Snipe brought the ball back and thrust it out again and again until he would hit Junko. Each time the ball came out, Junko was able to dodge it but he knew his luck would run out. That's when he knew that brains always beat brawns. Snipe was swinging his mace again, but now Junko was prepared. The ball was coming Junko's way so he ignited his Knuckle Busters, making his hands glow green. As soon as the ball was close enough, Junko punched it with all his might, sending it back to Snipe.

The burly man only sat confused to see his own weapon coming back at him. The ball then hit Snipe's head, causing him to spin around in his Heli-Blade Elite screaming. Snipe's eyes were rolling around in their sockets when he finally got his ride under control but he was left with pain in his head.

"Ooh," said Junko, cringing. "That's gotta hurt."

While the battle was taking place, Master Cyclonis was entering while she rode on her own Switchblade Elite. Her cloak was flapping against the wind as she made it retract, revealing her dark red outfit. She saw the Storm Hawks were distracted, and she knew it was the perfect opportunity for her to use her secret weapon. The mysterious green crystal was now resting in her hand and she smiled maliciously as she sped towards the fighting.

Piper was still doing her best to get away from Repton when something caught the corner of her eye. She turned her head to find Cyclonis coming in with something odd in her hands. Piper looked closer and saw the Cyclonian ruler had some kind of crystal that wasn't familiar to her. But she knew that if Cyclonis had it then she was going to use it against the Storm Hawks. Piper soon took off after Cyclonis, hoping to stop her in time.

Cyclonis stood up from her Switchblade with the crystal in her hands. Her plan was now coming to fruition as she thought there would be one less Sky Knight squadron in Atmos.

"Goodbye, Storm Hawks," she said.

Cyclonis was about to use the crystal when Piper sped in at the last second. She extended her staff and while she went past the evil ruler; she knocked the crystal out of her hands and sent it flying through the air. Cyclonis watched in dismay as she lost a hold of the crystal and was soon filled with rage as she saw who was responsible.

Aerrow and Dark Ace were still fighting against each other on the Switchblade. Neither one seemed to have the upper hand until Dark Ace knocked Aerrow down onto the wings. Aerrow was now left motionless as Dark Ace drew up his sword.

"Well, it looks like you lose," said Dark Ace.

The Cyclonian commander plunged his sword downward, but Aerrow acted quickly and rolled out of the way. The sword was stuck into the wing while Aerrow jumped from the Switchblade and landed back on his Skimmer. Now Aerrow wasn't going to take this battle lightly anymore. Concentrating hard, his body soon glowed with blue energy as he was getting ready to perform his technique. Dark Ace tried to get out of the way, but he was still trying to get his sword free. All of a sudden, Aerrow leapt and spun in the air as his arms appeared to transform into wings. The Sky Knight shot his arms forward as he unleashed his Lightning Claw.

A large blue pulse of energy was speeding towards Dark Ace who was left defenceless. Dark Ace closed his eyes as he would soon feel the blow, but it never came as a green crystal came up to absorb the shot. The energy from Aerrow's attack pulsed around the crystal as it floated in mid-air. Both Aerrow and Dark Ace stood in shock to see what was happening.

Soon, everyone taking place in the battle could see a green glow coming from somewhere. The crystal then sent out a huge pulse of green glowing energy that surrounded everyone. The energy was large enough to cover even the _Condor_ and the Cyclonian airship. Everyone screamed as the light got brighter and then came a white flash. After it subsided, there was nothing left. The Sky Knight squadron and the Cyclonians – along with their ships and the crystal – had disappeared.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Well, there's the first chapter, folks. I hope it leaves you guessing.

Aerrow: So, what just happened? Did we win or not?

Dark Ace: Right. Like you could ever win against me!

Aerrow: Hey, I've kicked your butt plenty of times on the show!

BlueTiger321: Calm down, Aerrow. In the next chapter, the Storm Hawks get to meet some new people, as if you didn't already know who they're going to be. So, until next time, folks.

Aerrow: Read and review!


	2. Chapter 2: Another World

Chapter 2: Another World

BlueTiger321: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to _New World Alliance_. In this chapter, we now get to see the other major characters involved in this story and I'm sure you already figured out who they're going to be. So, on with the story.

Everyone who was caught in the crystal's energy was now drifting through a subspace area with swirling green energy. Each individual, including the two airships, was travelling at an abnormal speed so they had no control over which way they went.

The people on their Skimmers held on desperately for fear of letting go. All around each of them screamed as they kept on going through the space until they would reach the end.

Finn tried to stay on his ride while he gripped the controls. Soon, he had a nauseated look on his face as he shouted, "I think I'm gonna hurl!"

Back on the _Condor_, Stork screamed as he held his hands firmly on the ship's steering mechanism, trying to get it back under control. He knew the ship could take this sort of punishment after making it out of other impossible scenarios.

Master Cyclonis grunted while she positioned herself on her Switchblade Elite. She scanned the area looking for something when she stopped in the middle. There was the crystal she was holding before Piper knocked it away from her. Pulling on her ride's controls, she got closer to the crystal with her arm stretched outward. The crystal was within reach, but then its smooth surface slipped from her fingers. The Cyclonian ruler could only watch as the crystal drifted further away and was sent into the swirling energy where it vanished in a white flash.

Cyclonis screamed in anger as she joined with Ravess, Snipe, Dark Ace and the Raptors. The group was then near the Cyclonian airship as they all headed near the energy and disappeared.

The only ones left in the vortex were the Storm Hawks and their ship. Aerrow pushed himself up onto his Skimmer and shouted to his team, "Hang on!"

The other Storm Hawks complied with their Sky Knight as they continued holding to their rides for life. Eventually, they, along with the _Condor_, collided into the energy like the Cyclonians did before them. All of them screamed as they were met with a bright flash of light not knowing what was going to happen next.

* * *

A blue sky with clouds stood against the background. All remained this way until something came out from nowhere. There in the sky, a big burst of green energy expanded. From within that energy the Storm Hawks and the _Condor_ all came speeding out. The energy subsided, and the Storm Hawks all halted their rides while Stork did the same to the _Condor_.

After that experience, the Storm Hawks took a few seconds to collect themselves. They all sat still in their rides breathing deeply. Radarr; however, was so panicked from witnessing everything that he stood still on his seat with a frightened expression frozen on his face.

"I'm glad we all made it together," said Aerrow.

"Remind me never to fly that fast _ever_ again," said Finn.

Junko looked around the skies and wondered, "Where'd the Cyclonians go?"

"I'm more concerned about where _we_ are right now," said Piper. "We must've gotten transported somewhere."

Aerrow then pressed a button on his handle bars, activating the radio. "Stork," he said, "is everything all right?"

On the other end, Stork replied, "_Other than that horrifying trip through the Doom Tunnel, I'm good. Oh, and you might want to come back here because I've just discovered something._"

The Storm Hawks all sensed the foreboding tone in Stork's voice as they all glanced at each other in wonder. Not wasting any more time, they turned their Skimmers back to the _Condor_ and drove into the hangar bay.

Everyone then joined Stork back on the bridge. The Merb was still at the controls flying the ship while they all waited what he had to say.

"What is it, Stork?" said Aerrow.

Turning around to face the Sky Knight, Stork replied, "Well, I looked at the ship's specs and it says that we're near maximum depth. So I looked through the periscope to see what was going on when I found something odd."

Aerrow was almost shocked to hear the news. They were in the sky, but he wondered why the ship was near the maximum depth. Heeding Stork's news, he pulled down the periscope and looked out through it. When he did, he stepped back with a gasp and eyes wide open.

"What's wrong, Aerrow?" said Piper.

"Look," replied Aerrow.

The navigator pulled down the second periscope to see what surprised Aerrow. There, she saw something unusual. Spread out under the _Condor_ was a huge ocean. The surface of Atmos was where the Wastelands were located and only rock, lava and deadly creatures resided there.

"Water?" said Piper, turning away from the periscope. "But, how can that be?"

Aerrow pulled up his periscope and said, "That's what I'd like to know, too."

"That's not all," said Stork. "Look at this!"

The Merb then pointed to a large glass sphere next to the controls. Within it were three metal rings forming around each other. Normally they would be moving around at a slow pace, but now they were motionless.

"Oh, no!" said Junko. "The Timepulse is broken!"

"No, Junko," said Piper. "What Stork means is that the Timepulse isn't moving because it's not picking up a navigation signal!"

Finn opened his eyes wide with fright and said, "Wait a minute, no Timepulse _and_ no Wastelands?!"

Aerrow shared Finn's concern as he said, "That could only mean one thing: we're not in Atmos!"

Piper, Finn, Junko and Stork all gasped at that realisation while Radarr chirped in fright as he clung to Aerrow's shoulder. They were now stuck in a world that wasn't familiar to them.

Junko broke the silence as he said, "So now what do we do?"

"For right now," answered Aerrow, "all we can do is try to make sense of this place, and hope we can find someone who'll help us."

Aerrow knew now was not the time to panic. It was his duty as a Sky Knight to help get his team back home. His face showed determination as he said, "Stork, get the _Condor_ moving. Piper, be on the lookout for any civilization. Finn, Junko, be ready in case the Cyclonians show up again."

In an instant, all of Aerrow's teammates responded to his commands without hesitation. They knew their Sky Knight was strong willed and that he would lead them out of this situation. While his teammates were getting ready, Aerrow turned to his furry co-pilot. Radarr smiled at Aerrow, letting him know that he made the right decisions.

"Well Radarr," he said, "let's just hope we can make it back home soon."

The _Condor_ was now rising as its boosters sent it off through the sky. The Storm Hawks were now going to combat their biggest challenge yet: trying to find a way out of this new world and get back to their own.

* * *

In another part of the other world, the same green energy once again exploded in the sky. This time, the Cyclonians, the Raptors and the Cyclonian airship emerged from this one. All the rides had come to a halt in mid-air once they had gotten under control.

Lugey was the first to comment. He said, "That was fun! Let's do it again!"

"Quiet, you moron!" snapped Repton, forcing Lugey to back away in fear.

Dark Ace looked around the skies, knowing he wasn't anywhere familiar to him. He turned to Cyclonis and said, "What happened, Master?"

"It would seem my plan backfired on us," Cyclonis replied with disappointment. "Now we're trapped in another dimension with the Storm Hawks."

"Another dimension?" said Ravess. "You mean that crystal has the power to send people to another dimension?"

"If we're here, then how do we get out?" wondered Snipe.

"The only way is to find the stone before the Storm Hawks do," said Cyclonis. "That way, we'll return to Atmos and the Storm Hawks will remain here for the rest of their lives."

All of Cyclonis's commanders and the Raptors smiled after hearing her plan. Now they knew this would be the ultimate way to finally get rid of the Storm Hawks. Unfortunately, it would mean they would be in a race to get back the crystal that transported them to this world.

"We await your next command," said Dark Ace.

Turning to Dark Ace, Ravess and Snipe, Cyclonis said, "Take some Talons with you and break off into search groups. Find the stone and do whatever it takes to get it, whether it's with the Storm Hawks or anyone else."

At that moment, all the Cyclonian commanders sped toward the ship to recruit some Talons in each of their groups while the Raptors began their search. Cyclonis smirked as she rode back to the airship. It would take some time, but her plan was going to be successful.

* * *

Back on the _Condor_, the Storm Hawks were still searching for some sign of civilization. They still flew over the wide ocean, and yet nothing could be seen anywhere but vast waters. Aerrow knew not to give up because he had the feeling that someone out there could help them.

Meanwhile, Finn yawned as he sat down at the table with Junko and Radarr. He and the Wallop were supposed to be prepared if the Cyclonians attacked again, but so far there wasn't any sign of them, either.

"Hey Aerrow," said Finn. "Maybe we should take a break now. I mean, we've been flying out here for hours and we haven't found anything."

"We can't stop yet. There has to be something out there," said Aerrow.

Hoping to hear some good news from Piper, he turned to her as she continued looking through the periscope. "See anything, Piper?" he asked.

"Nothing but more water," she replied. Just then, Piper stopped as she spotted something. "Wait a minute; I think I've got something to the east!"

Feeling enthusiastic, Aerrow pulled down the second periscope and pointed it at the direction Piper specified. There, the Sky Knight saw a large island. At the front of it was a large harbour surrounded by a gate. The harbour then led to a long, stone structure where a city was located. The buildings were of unfamiliar design to the Storm Hawks, but Aerrow could see they were designed elegantly with red rooftops. The island's centre was where a dormant volcano was located, and inside it were more buildings which seemed to be more lavish in appearance.

Aerrow brought his eyes away from the periscope and said happily, "It's a city. Now we can get some answers about this place."

"Yes!" cried Junko.

"All right!" said Finn. He and the Wallop then stood up to do a high five, but Junko accidentally sent him flying across the room when their hands met.

Aerrow watched the whole thing and merely gave a weak smile while shaking his head.

Piper still had her eyes fixed to her periscope and said, "Wait, there's something else."

Aerrow went back to his periscope to see what Piper meant. Looking back over the city near the volcano, he then saw some familiar looking machines circling the sky. The Sky Knight watched with terror as he saw Talons flying above the city, causing the civilians to panic, but he was soon filled with rage when he saw who ordered the attack. Flying with the Talons over the city was Ravess as she fired off her arrows while laughing sadistically. A Talon playing the violin followed her on his own Switchblade.

Aerrow and Piper brought their periscopes back up and turned to each other. "Those people are in danger!" said Piper.

"...And they've never gone up against the Talons before," said Aerrow. "Stork, take us down to the city! Once we're close enough, we'll all get to our rides to get rid of the Talons!"

"All of us?" said Stork hesitantly. "Does that include me?"

"Sorry, Stork," explained Aerrow, "but if we use the _Condor's_ weapons then we could end up hurting those people. We need to use the element of surprise against the Talons."

Stork finally conceded to Aerrow and pulled a lever near the controls, bringing the _Condor_ down towards the city. It didn't matter if this wasn't their world. The Storm Hawks weren't going to let the Talons harm innocent people. The _Condor_ landed down on an open field near the city. Once it was on the ground, the hangar bay opened up again. Aerrow, Finn and Junko flew out on their Skimmers, Piper flew out on her Heliscooter, and Stork also flew out using his own vehicle called the Stork-mobile, which had three wheels, a front end that looked identical to Stork's face, and rotors coming from the wheels and the top. The Storm Hawks flew down to the city quickly in an attempt to stop the Talons before anyone got hurt.

In the city, Ravess and the Talons all landed their Skimmers while the citizens screamed in fear, trying to run away. The Cyclonian commander spotted one family – a father, a mother and a small boy – trying to get away so she got her bow ready and aimed an arrow at the ground. Ravess let the arrow fly and it made a small explosion and scared the family, causing all of them to stumble back and fall.

Now Ravess walked up to her hostages slowly. She could see they were afraid of her so she pursed her lips into a cruel smile.

"What do you want with us?" said the father with terror in his voice.

"We're looking for a very special kind of crystal," replied Ravess. "Perhaps you've seen it; round and green."

The man shook his head and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Such a shame. Then you're of no use to me at all."

Ravess then brought out another arrow and strung it on her bow, making the family scream in fear as they knew what was about to happen. She held the arrow out firmly and was about to release it until she heard something coming from behind her.

There, some Talons all ran away before they got hit by five incoming vehicles, but some got flown back as energy pulses hit them. All the vehicles stopped to reveal the Storm Hawks as they got out with their weapons drawn while Radarr got up front and did his own sky fu moves.

"Are we late for the party?" Aerrow said jokingly.

"The Storm Hawks," said Ravess with rage showing on her face. She pointed out her finger and ordered, "Get them!"

All the Talons in Ravess's squad ran towards the Storm Hawks with their Cyclonian battle staves. Aerrow and his teammates did the same as they all charged.

Aerrow was the first one to battle as he got between two Talons. He blocked their staves using his daggers and twirled them out of their hands. He finished by jumping and splitting his legs in the air, sending a kick to their abdomens and knocked them to the ground. Another Talon tried to rush him but Aerrow fired a blue pulse from one of his daggers, which hit the Talon and knocked him a few feet away and made him see stars spinning around his head.

Piper was fighting against a Talon and blocked his staff with her own. Each time the Talon tried to land a hit, Piper kept blocking until she finally had enough. The Talon jabbed at her and Piper ducked, and it was her chance to point her staff at him and fire a blue pulse, electrocuting him and made the Talon drop to the ground. The navigator smiled as she went off to help her friends.

Three Talons stood in front of Finn, and the sharpshooter merely stood there with his crossbow in his hands while he smirked.

"We can take him!" said one of the Talons.

All the other Talons pointed their staves upward as they shouted. Finn shook his head while rolling his eyes and aimed his crossbow. He fired three bolts in the air, and each of them went straight for the tips of the Talon's staves. In an instant, all the firebolt crystals at the tips were destroyed, leaving the Talons defenceless. The Talons looked at their weapons with shocked faces. Finn held out his crossbow again, and the Talons all looked with embarrassed faces so they turned around and ran away. The marksman laughed at what he'd done and slicked his hair back with his hand.

Junko was punching away Talons with his Knuckle Busters, but he paused as he found Stork all by himself with two Talons surrounding him. The Wallop ran over to where he was and yelled as he charged them. The Talons heard this and turned around to see the Wallop, and they ended up falling to the ground as Junko held out his arms and knocked them down.

Stork saw what happened and said, "You know, I had them right where I wanted them."

"What were you gonna do?" asked Junko.

One of the Talons was trying to get up, but Stork saw this and brought out something from his suit. In his hands was a spray can that he pointed at the Talon's head. The can released a green gas, making the Talon gag and pass out from the foul smell.

"I was gonna do that," replied Stork.

Aerrow knocked out another Talon and barely missed a red pulse of energy as he saw a Talon not far off who stood there laughing as he held his staff. Unknown to him, Radarr had gotten up behind him just as the co-pilot saw his Sky Knight was in trouble. Radarr snuck up close and bit down hard on the Talon's rear, causing him to yell in pain and jump around frantically. Radarr let go just as Aerrow came in with his daggers extended and knocked away the Talon.

"Thanks, Radarr," said Aerrow.

The furry co-pilot looked up at the boy and gave a thumb's up as a response. By that time, all the Storm Hawks were now together just as the Talons all recovered from the assaults. Suddenly, the Storm Hawks all turned around as they heard screaming. There they gasped when they saw Ravess pinning a small boy under her boot with an arrow pointed at him.

"No!" cried the boy's mother. She and her husband tried to go help their son, but they halted when two Talons blocked their way with their staves.

Ravess laughed at this scene and said, "Drop your weapons!"

Aerrow grunted in anger as he was forced to do what Ravess said or else the boy would suffer. His daggers were shut off and he dropped them to the ground. Piper, Finn and Junko were forced to do the same while Radarr chirped in disapproval.

Stork dropped his spray can as well. "We're doomed," he said in a monotonous tone.

All the Talons then formed around the Storm Hawks, laughing as they held out their staves. Aerrow and his team were then forced to raise their hands to show they surrendered.

"Very noble of you, Storm Hawks," said Ravess. "Now, you'll be..."

Ravess never finished her sentence as she heard something in the sky. It was a loud, growling sound that startled her. Looking up, the Cyclonian commander saw that it came from a large flying beast. It was covered in white and brown-striped fur with horns protruding from the sides of its head, a flat tail and had large brown eyes with a black nose. What was truly odd about it was that six legs stuck out from its body while brown fur in the shape of an arrow was on its forehead. A saddle was also on its back that carried some passengers.

The Storm Hawks and all the Talons heard the growling as well, and they stood in disbelief at what was causing it.

The beast got closer to the ground, but then one of the passengers on its back jumped out and was coming closer. It was a boy who appeared to be twelve years old and was dressed in a yellow and orange robe hung over his left shoulder, brown pants and orange boots. What was truly astonishing about his appearance was his head was completely bald and a blue arrow was tattooed over it while an arrow covered each of his forearms. His gray eyes were set into fury as he held out a staff, which then had blue flaps extend from it and made him glide to the ground. The boy landed right in front of Ravess, who was stunned at the spectacle. The boy grunted as he thrust out his hands, and immediately a huge gust of wind flew from them that was powerful enough to knock Ravess a few feet away.

The Storm Hawks saw the boy was now safe, so while the Talons were distracted; they all picked up their weapons and resumed fighting.

Ravess got up from the ground. In a rage, she shouted, "Attack!"

By that time, the flying beast landed on the ground, and the other people it carried on its back had gotten out joining their friend in battle: two boys and two girls. The first girl appeared to be fourteen years old and had long, brown hair with blue eyes and lightly tanned skin. She was clothed in a blue dress worn over dark blue pants. Her hands were covered with blue fingerless gloves while blue boots adorned her feet. A black-strapped necklace with a blue medallion also hung from her neck, and in the medallion was a carved water pattern. A water carrier was slung to her side, and she unfastened the cork as two Talons approached her. She moved her hands outward and water flew from the carrier that formed into a long piece. The girl moved the water around like a whip and used it to grab one Talon's leg and lift him, making him fall to the ground. The other Talon looked on in shock while the girl used the water to hit the Talon in the chest, sending him across the ground.

The second boy looked to be fifteen years old and he also had blue eyes, brown hair and tanned skin like the first girl, but his hair was done into a short ponytail. He wore a sleeveless blue robe worn over blue pants. Brown boots were on his feet while blue fingerless gloves covered his hands and white cloth strips covered his forearms. Slung to his side was a sword in its sheath, and on his back were a boomerang and a club.

(A/N: Sokka has his "space sword" back in this story.)

A Talon rushed over to this boy with his staff held high. The boy retaliated by drawing his sword, revealing the blade to be pitch black. The sword struck the staff, giving off the sound of metal clanking. Both the boy and the Talon were locked in a furious battle as they kept hitting their weapons until the boy gained the upper hand by grunting and knocking the staff away from the Talon. He then applied a kick to the Talon's chest, sending him crashing to the ground.

Just then, the boy heard laughter behind him. A Talon was about to get the jump on him, but he smiled as he pulled out his boomerang. Spinning around, he threw it from his hands but the Talon ducked at the last second.

"Ya missed me!" said the Talon.

The boomerang was coming back while the Talon laughed and hit him in the back of his head. The Talon grunted as he stumbled and fell, and the boomerang was caught by the boy. He laughed at his victory and then ran off to help his friends.

The second girl appeared twelve years old and she stood alone as three Talons surrounded her. Her pale blue eyes revealed that she was blind, which made the Talons thought they had the advantage. The girl had black hair tied into a bun with a green and yellow hair band while the front of her face was covered with her bangs. She wore a yellow robe that was over a green dress. Her wrists and ankles were covered by green and black bands, and her feet were left bare.

The Talon behind this girl slowly snuck up behind her with his staff pointed up. The girl only gave a smirk and a short chuckle as she could sense someone was coming her way. In an instant, she stomped her foot on the ground and a rock wall came up behind her. The Talon didn't see it coming as he ran forward, and he grunted in pain as he collided with the wall. The girl lowered the wall and the Talon stood with a dazed look until he fell. The other two Talons were left aghast at what happened, but it didn't last long as the girl extended her fists and sent the Talons flying by raising the earth underneath them.

The third boy looked to be sixteen years old, and right now he was the one who was the most enraged. His yellow eyes were in a glare underneath his messy black hair. He wore a dark red robe with gold trim over a light red shirt and pants, and black boots. His most notable feature was a large red scar that covered his left eye over to his ear. As Talons approached him, he extended his fists and grunted as flames shot out from them. The Talons all got knocked back from the force of the attack. More Talons got up behind the boy, so he sent up his leg and shot out a flame that covered the area. All the Talons yelled as the flames hit them. One Talon even hopped around as fire burned his rear.

The Storm Hawks were now joining in the fight and they each held their own against the Talons like the other mysterious people. Soon, Ravess entered the fight as well. She got her bow ready with three arrows. The brown-haired girl saw this happening and narrowed her eyes. Ravess let the arrows fly, but the girl let out the water from her carrier and spread it on the ground. She then brought it up in front of the group and turned it into ice. The arrows got stuck in the ice, leaving Ravess in shock.

Just then, the bald boy jumped over the ice. Ravess looked up while she pointed four arrows at him. The arrows flew from her bow, but the boy was prepared for this as he shot out a flame from his palm to destroy the incoming projectiles. He then landed with his fist on the ground, sending a small tremor that knocked away Ravess and the Talons.

Aerrow also jumped over the ice with his daggers at the ready. Feeling confident, he said, "I think you're outmatched, Ravess."

Ravess grunted in anger after hearing Aerrow's remark. Knowing that she couldn't win this battle, she called to the Talons, "Retreat!"

Soon, all the Talons got back on their Switchblades and drove off. Ravess approached her Switchblade Elite and joined the Talons as they all flew into the air. The Cyclonian commander knew her master would not be pleased to hear the Storm Hawks had defeated her along with a group of unknown people. The Talon next to Ravess was playing her music on the violin, but she was soon annoyed by it so she flew next to the Talon and knocked away the violin.

As the Talons left, Finn ran up to them with his crossbow out and yelled, "Oh yeah! You don't mess with us!" Piper watched as Finn made a fool out of himself so she shook her head and rolled her eyes.

The bald boy watched the Talons retreat and then smiled as he knew the fighting was over. At that moment, another animal flew over to him. This one appeared to be a monkey with white and brown fur, large ears and green eyes. Wings protruded from its arms but then they receded as it landed on the boy's shoulder. It gave a chirp, which made the boy laugh and pat the animal on its head.

Aerrow walked up to the boy to thank him and his friends for lending their assistance. Before he could do that, all the citizens around him cheered for having gotten rid of the Talons. Aerrow wasn't quite sure of it, but he knew that these people could be trusted.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Phew, that was a pretty intense chapter! I made it so long because of all the character introductions.

Katara: Well, at least you got the major ones out of the way.

BlueTiger321: You're right. In the next chapter, the Storm Hawks and the Avatar's group get to know each other.

Aang: Wow, I can't wait to find out all about them!

BlueTiger321: So, until next time folks.

Aang and Katara: Read and review!


	3. Chapter 3: New Friends

Chapter 3: New Friends

BlueTiger321: All right, so now the Storm Hawks and the Gaang have met and it's time they got to learn about each other. Enjoy!

The people around the Storm Hawks and the newcomers continued to cheer for their heroics. To Aerrow, being a hero was its own reward but he still didn't mind a little recognition for his efforts. He looked at his team to see them all accepting the praise by smiling and waving, including Stork.

Aerrow sheathed his daggers and turned to face the bald boy. He was curious about a lot of things about what he and his friends were able to do, and he thought now was a good time to ask him. Radarr joined him on his shoulders similarly to what the other monkey did to the boy.

"Hey, thanks for showing up when you did," said Aerrow. "You really helped us out." His teammates overheard the conversation he started so they joined him.

The boy turned to face the Sky Knight just as his own companions walked behind him. "It was nothing," said the boy. "We were already on our way down to help protect these people."

"Well thank you, anyway. I'm Aerrow, the leader of the Storm Hawks."

His teammates all stood beside him to properly introduce themselves to the group.

"I'm Piper. It's nice to meet you," she said while smiling.

The marksman gave his trademark pistol fingers as he said, "The name's Finn, the master blaster. Chicka-cha!" Piper grunted in annoyance at Finn's introduction.

"Hey, I'm Junko," the Wallop said while waving his hand.

"And I'm Stork," said the Merb. "I don't usually take part in the fighting, especially if pain is involved."

Aerrow eyed Stork oddly at his remark. He then pointed to his co-pilot and said, "And this is Radarr." The furry Storm Hawk smiled and chirped as if to say hello.

"Well it's nice to meet you all," replied the boy. "I'm Aang, the Avatar, and this is Momo." The monkey on his shoulder also chirped to say hello to the Storm Hawks.

Aerrow was intrigued by Momo so he got closer to him. He chuckled as he said, "It's nice to meet you, Momo." The boy Sky Knight was about to reach out his hand to him when Stork suddenly grabbed it and pulled it back.

"Wait!" shouted Stork. "You don't know what that thing could do, man! For all we know, it could be carrying some unknown parasite! Or what if it bites you? It could inject venom that makes you go insane!"

Both Aang and Aerrow looked at Stork with odd expressions while Momo sat peacefully on Aang's shoulder. The boy was now introduced to Stork's obsessive paranoia.

The brown-haired girl broke the silence by saying, "I'm Katara, and we should thank you for your help as well."

The boy with the ponytail bowed to the Storm Hawks while saying, "I am the mighty Sokka, and you should count yourselves lucky that I came to save you."

Katara elbowed Sokka in the ribs, which made him yelp in pain and rub the spot. "You'll have to excuse my brother," she said. "Sometimes he gets too full of himself."

"Yeah, I know how you feel," commented Piper. Her eyes turned to Finn as if to point out what she was saying. The blonde sharpshooter narrowed his eyes back at her.

The small girl walked up next and said, "I'm Toph, and thanks, I guess, for your help, but we would've done fine without you."

Finn felt a little insulted by that remark. "Oh yeah?" he said. "Well I bet you don't have _my_ amazing marksman skills."

"You're right, I don't," said Toph. She walked over to him and then punched him in the arm, making him yelp in pain. "That's because I'm blind, you lunkhead!"

The boy with the scar was the last to introduce himself. "My name's Zuko," he said, "and I should thank you personally for saving my people."

"Your people?" wondered Junko.

At that moment, the civilians all walked up to the two groups. Most of them had circled around Aang and Zuko, and they kneeled down to both of them.

The father of the boy held hostage by Ravess said, "Thank you, Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang."

"You should be thanking these people, too," said Zuko, pointing to the Storm Hawks. "If not for them, they wouldn't have helped us drive away the attackers."

All the people then rose and bowed to the Sky Knight squadron. Aerrow and his teammates got the understanding that Zuko was the ruler over these people. The civilians all walked off to let the group have their privacy.

Aerrow looked behind Aang and the others to look at the large beast standing off to the side. "And who is that?" he asked.

Aang turned around to see what Aerrow meant, and he smiled as he said, "Oh, that's Appa. He's my sky bison."

Finn walked over to Appa to get a better look at him, and he was forced to arch his head up to see his size. "Whoa, he sure is a big fella, isn't he?" he said.

Appa pointed his head down towards Finn, and he stuck out his large tongue and licked the blonde sharpshooter. Finn stepped back and had a disgusted look on his face as he was now covered in saliva. His teammates and the Avatar's friends all laughed at the sight.

"He likes you," said Aang while laughing.

"Yeah, I noticed," said Finn with sarcasm in his voice. He proceeded by shaking his body to get some of the saliva off him.

Radarr and Momo got off Aerrow and Aang's shoulders so they could do their own introduction. The two of them eyed each other and then chirped. They continued by sniffing each other's faces, which made the two human boys laugh.

"Well, at least those two are getting to know each other better," said Aerrow jokingly.

Katara looked to see the Storm Hawks rides parked near them. Out of curiosity, she asked, "What are these things?"

"They're called Skimmers," replied Aerrow. "We use them to travel individually."

"Hey, I noticed those attackers had something like them when they ran off," said Sokka. "Are they like your enemies or something?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Aerrow. "But we can talk more about it on our ship."

"You have a ship?" asked Zuko.

"Yeah," said Stork. "It's the only place where I feel safe, and I'd _really_ like to get back there now."

The Storm Hawks complied with Stork's request as they all got on their Skimmers.

"Follow us," said Piper, turning to Aang and his friends.

The Avatar's group all nodded and walked towards Appa. These new people were inviting them to their ship and they were interested to see it. The Storm Hawks revved up their vehicles and rode off through the city. When there was enough space, they put them into flight mode and soared into the air.

Everyone except Aang sat in Appa's saddle while the Avatar sat over the sky bison's huge neck. Taking the reins in his hands, he said, "Appa, yip yip!"

Appa growled and rose into the air, heading after the Storm Hawks. As soon as everyone was in the sky, they all headed off to where the _Condor_ was located. Sokka was amazed to see the Skimmers flying the way they did.

"That is the most incredible thing I've ever seen!" he said.

"I'm sure it's nothing special," said Toph jokingly.

"Wait until you see the _Condor_," said Piper.

The Storm Hawks lowered their vehicles as they pinpointed where their ship lied. The _Condor_ was still touched down over the grassy field that overlooked the ocean. Everyone except Toph looked at it and was a little confused as they didn't know what to make of it.

"That's a ship?" asked Katara.

"Yup," replied Junko. "It's our home."

Aerrow and his team went down lower while Aang and the others followed. Once they were low enough, Aerrow pressed a button on his Skimmer's controls, which made the hangar bay doors open on the _Condor_. The Storm Hawks' rides returned to vehicle mode as they all touched down on the runway and entered the ship. The Skimmers powered down and they all got off them. They looked out the hangar bay to expect the others to follow, but Appa stood still on the runway.

Aerrow and Piper went outside to see what was wrong. "Is everything okay?" Aerrow asked in concern.

Aang jumped down and said, "Sorry. It's just that I don't think Appa can fit in there."

"You're probably right," said Piper. "I hope Appa doesn't mind waiting out here."

By that time, everyone else on Appa's saddle climbed down to join them. "Don't worry about it," said Aang. "He knows that we'll be here."

"Then let's go inside," said Aerrow, gesturing with his hand.

The Avatar's group followed Aerrow and Piper into the hangar bay while Appa remained outside on the runway. He gave a short growl as he saw the doors close, showing his cry for being lonely.

As soon as everyone was inside the _Condor_, the Storm Hawks stood looking at the awed expressions of their new friends. Aerrow got the impression they had never seen anything like the ship before in their lives. Toph was also lucky that she could see through the metal floor.

"This is some ship you've got here," Aang commented. "I'm sure Teo's father would love to see it."

"Well this is only the hangar bay," said Aerrow. "Come with us to the bridge."

Aerrow walked with his teammates over to the doors leading out of the hangar bay while Aang and his friends followed. They walked down a hallway and the Avatar's group kept looking around the ship as they were still marvelled by the design. Eventually, they all came to a huge doorway that opened from the top and bottom when the Storm Hawks got close. They, along with Aang and the others, walked inside when they got to the bridge. The first one to feel giddy was Sokka as he ran over to the _Condor's_ controls.

"Hey, what does this do?" he said while handling a lever.

"Don't touch that!" shouted Stork.

It was too late. Sokka pulled down the lever and he turned around to hear a clicking sound. Everyone else looked to see it was coming from the middle of the bridge where Stork was standing on top of a round metal piece with the Storm Hawks insignia.

Stork gulped while his eyes widened in shock as he knew what was about to happen. All of a sudden, the metal piece shot straight up to reveal a large spring underneath it, which sent Stork up through the open roof screaming. Everyone else looked to see the Merb shoot through the air.

"Oops!" said Sokka. He then turned around to look out the glass and see Stork falling into the nearby ocean.

Aang reacted by making his staff unfold the gliders and he rose through the roof. Everyone watched through the glass as he headed for the ocean and then came back. The boy Avatar came back through the roof while carrying Stork. The Merb landed on the floor sopping wet as he had an annoyed look on his face. He then walked over to the controls and pulled the lever back up, bringing the spring down and closing the roof.

Sokka looked at Stork while laughing apologetically. "Uh... sorry, Stork," he said.

The helmsman turned to the others and said, "From now on, Sokka doesn't touch anything on the _Condor_ ever again!"

"Here, let me help you get dry," said Aang. He walked up to Stork and held out his hands. Immediately, the water from Stork's clothes and hair lifted off him as Aang manipulated it. Katara opened her water carrier and took over from Aang as she made the water go into the carrier, and then closed the hole.

"Wow!" said Piper. "How were you able to do that?"

"Yeah, and what about all that other stuff with the fire and wind, too?" said Finn.

"Oh, those are our bending abilities," answered Katara.

Aerrow shook his head as if he understood what he just heard. "Bending abilities?" he asked.

"You mean you don't know what bending is?" said Aang.

When asked that question, the Storm Hawks all shook their heads in response.

"To put it simply," said Katara, "bending is where a person is able to control one of the four elements: water, earth, fire or air."

"A person learns how to bend an element related to whatever nation they live in," added Toph.

"That's right," said Zuko. "I'm a firebender from the Fire Nation, Katara is a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, Toph is an earthbender from the Earth Kingdom, and Aang – well, Aang is from the Air Nomads, but he's the Avatar so he's able to bend all four elements."

Junko tried to make sense of what everyone was saying, but he only held his head in his hands and said, "This is making my head hurt."

Curious, Piper asked, "So which nation are we in now?"

"We're in the Fire Nation," replied Aang. "In fact, we're just outside the capital."

Something else that was said piqued Aerrow's curiosity. "And why is Aang referred to as the Avatar?"

Aang took in a deep breath, preparing himself to answer Aerrow's question. "The Avatar is the one who keeps the four nations in balance and maintains world order," he said. "He's also the bridge between this world and the Spirit World. Through each generation, the Avatar is re-incarnated as another person within the four nations."

"Wow," said Aerrow. "That's gotta be quite a burden to be placed on you, Aang. I mean, you're just a kid."

Aang looked down at the response. "I didn't have any choice," he replied. "Around my time, the world broke out into war."

"Over a hundred years ago," Zuko explained, "my great-grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, started invading the other nations and used Sozin's Comet to enhance his firebending. Aang was scared of his duties, so he ran away and ended up getting frozen in an iceberg with Appa."

Katara took over, saying, "Sokka and I found Aang near our home, and ever since then we've been helping him out with his duties. We've overcome many trials and met some amazing people, but that war took its toll on all of us."

"Aang was able to end the war by defeating Fire Lord Ozai, and ever since then we've been trying to get things back to normal," said Sokka.

"Wait," said Stork. "Did you say the war started over a hundred years ago?"

"Yes," said Zuko.

Piper finished by saying, "So that would make Aang..." She stopped as she realised how old Aang really is.

Toph joined the conversation as she shrugged her shoulders and said, "Seriously, how could you guys not know that? It's like you're from another world."

The Storm Hawks shifted their eyes at Toph's comment. What she said was true and now they would have to admit it.

"Wait, you guys _are_ from another world?" asked Toph.

"I kinda thought about something like that when I saw Junko and Stork," said Aang.

Junko looked at himself, noticing that Aang meant he wasn't human. "I guess it is kind of a giveaway," he said.

"Toph is right," said Aerrow as Radarr hopped onto his shoulders. "We're not from this world, and neither were the ones who attacked those people. Our world is called Atmos, and it's full of kingdoms on mountaintops called terras. The groups who dedicate themselves to protect the citizens are called Sky Knight squadrons, and we're one of them – the Storm Hawks."

"From the looks of your ship," said Katara, "I'd say that your world is more advanced than ours."

"Most likely, yes."

"Those who attacked today were a group of Talons, the soldiers of Cyclonia, the nation that plans to conquer Atmos." said Piper. "And that woman leading them is Ravess, one of the commanders under the Cyclonian ruler, Master Cyclonis."

"So your enemies came to our world with you?" asked Aang.

"Yeah," said Finn. "We always go through some far out things."

"So, how did you arrive here in the first place?" asked Katara.

"That's what we're trying to figure out, too," replied Aerrow.

"Was there anything you remember before you came here?" said Aang.

Aerrow put his hand to his chin and thought hard. He recalled the battle that he and his teammates were in, and that's when he remembered something. "The last thing I remember," he said, "is fighting against the Dark Ace. I was about to hit him with my Lightning Claw when this crystal popped up and took the blow."

Piper heard what Aerrow said and thought about it carefully. "This crystal..." she said. The navigator proceeded by going under the table and coming back up with a large book. "What did it look like, Aerrow?"

"It was round and green," replied the Sky Knight.

Piper began flipping through the book, saying, "Just as I figured!"

"What do you mean, Piper?" said Junko.

"During our battle with the Cyclonians on Atmos, I saw Cyclonis coming in with the same crystal Aerrow described." Piper looked through the book carefully until she stopped on a certain page. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw a picture of the same crystal on the page. Everyone else leaned in to see what she had discovered.

"That's the one!" said Aerrow.

Sokka looked at the pages and couldn't understand the language. "What does it say?" he asked.

"It's a dimension stone, a rare and mighty crystal," replied Piper. "Dimension stones are capable of transporting anyone or anything to another dimension. Cyclonis must've planned to use it against us, but she and her followers wound up coming here, too."

"If what you say is true, then it would explain how you got here," said Katara.

"But wait," interrupted Aerrow. "Shouldn't my Lightning Claw have destroyed the dimension stone?"

Piper turned back to the book and explained, "It says here that dimension stones only work when they're given a huge amount of energy." She looked back at the others and said, "If the stone transported us and the Cyclonians to this world, then that means it should be here as well."

Finn smiled upon hearing the news. "So now we've got a plan," he said with his voice full of confidence. "All we have to do is find the dimension stone, Aerrow hits it with his Lightning Claw, and we'll be back on Atmos in no time! And when we get back, I suggest we head to Tropica for some well-deserved 'R and R.'" He finished by giving his pistol fingers and flashing his teeth in a grin.

"Finn!" Piper exclaimed, causing the marksman to drop his smile. "We can't leave the Cyclonians here, either!"

"Piper's right," said Aerrow. "There's no telling what the Cyclonians could do to this world."

Finn merely waved his hands in misunderstanding at the comment. "What is everybody's problem?" he said. "With the Cyclonians out of Atmos, we'll never have to worry about them again."

"No, Finn," said Aerrow. "The Cyclonians are our problem; not theirs." The Sky Knight brought his hand over to Aang and his friends, and they all looked at Finn with hopeful expressions.

The blonde sharpshooter rolled his eyes and groaned since he knew Aerrow was right. It was the Storm Hawks' duty to protect people from the Cyclonians, and that still counted for people in this world.

"We'll help you find the dimension stone, right everyone?" said Aang.

All his friends nodded with approval. After meeting the Storm Hawks, they knew they were good people and they would help them out in any way.

"Then it's settled," said Aerrow. "We just need to find the dimension stone so we'll get back to Atmos and take the Cyclonians with us."

"One thing," Stork mentioned. "Assuming we do find the dimension stone, what chance is there that we'll end up back on Atmos and not some other world?"

"...Probably a small one, but it's our only hope," replied Piper. "And if the Cyclonians find it before we do, then we'll never get back home."

"Well for right now," said Zuko, "let's head back to the palace so we can discuss this further. Besides, I don't think your enemies are any closer to finding that stone before us right now."

"You're probably right, Zuko," said Aerrow. "We'll take the _Condor_ over to the palace."

"Hold on," said Aang. "I should go get Appa. He probably misses me and I don't want him to get scared when this ship starts to fly."

Aerrow heard Aang's request and took him to the hangar bay. The boy Avatar ran out to the runway to be re-united with his sky bison just as the sun was setting in the sky. Aerrow could see the boy had a huge bond with Appa, and he also felt the same way with his teammates.

_We're so much alike_, thought Aerrow.

"Yip yip," said Aang as he got on Appa.

The sky bison rose into the air on that command, and now it would be the _Condor's_ turn. The hangar bay doors closed while Aerrow walked back to the bridge.

"Stork, take us up," said Aerrow.

The Merb nodded to Aerrow and activated the _Condor's_ controls. The ship's boosters exhaled blue energy and it once again rose into the sky. Aang's friends almost felt afraid for rising in the air, and they wobbled around since they weren't used to flying this way. Eventually, they got their bearings together as Stork levelled off the ship. Aang watched to see the huge ship rise behind him, and he waved his hand over for Stork to follow him. Both Appa and the _Condor_ then flew over to the dormant volcano where Zuko's palace resided. Now that the Storm Hawks and the Avatar's group were aware of what to do next, it would be time to start building a plan.

* * *

BlueTiger321: And there's another chapter done. Man, there was a lot of dialogue in it!

Aerrow: So? That doesn't make it any less fun to read.

Sokka: Yeah, and will I be able to touch any more stuff on the _Condor_?

Stork: Not on your life, buddy!

Toph: Ha, ha! I wonder why nobody thought of preventing Sokka from touching anything a long time ago.

Sokka: Stop making fun of me!

BlueTiger321: Anyway, I won't spoil the surprise for the next chapter, but I will say it will get more interesting. So, until next time, folks.

Aerrow: Read and review!


	4. Chapter 4: The Proposition

Chapter 4: The Proposition

BlueTiger321: Hello, everyone. I apologise for taking so long to upload this chapter, but a lot of things have been happening recently. I won't bore you with those for obvious reasons. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

The sun was now setting over the horizon on the Fire Nation. Night would soon come and would once again bring in another peaceful day to the people. In a remote part of the Fire Nation near the ocean, a woman was walking with her young daughter down a dirt trail. Everything seemed pleasant to them as they took in the scenery of the rustling trees.

The little girl stopped when something caught her eye. She looked out over the ocean and spotted something that looked unfamiliar to her. "Mommy, what's that?" she said as she tugged at her mother's sleeve.

The woman looked to see where her daughter was pointing. There she saw a foreboding-looking island a few miles out from the mainland. The foliage around it all bustled from the coming wind while the cries from several birds could be heard coming from within them. But the most noticeable part of the island was the large building located in the centre. The entire place was constructed of stone with a wall built around it. The woman couldn't see it, but several guards were patrolling the wall as if to keep trespassers from entering or to keep whoever was inside from exiting. The building itself was so tall that it looked like it could reach the heavens.

Knowing what it was, the woman shuddered at the thought. "That's the place where Azula was sent to after she lost to the Avatar, dear," she said.

Feeling curious, the girl asked, "What did she do?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about, dear. You should feel glad that Azula is in there so she won't ever have to do anything bad again. Because if she wasn't in there, then she would take back the throne and our nation would be a bad place to live in."

The woman then held her daughter's hand and brought her back onto the trail where they continued walking. By that time, the sun had now set and night time had now blanketed the sky. The spot where they were looking was now deserted until something fell out from a nearby tree. In that spot stood a malicious figure. Its whole body was dressed in black armour while a black hood covered its head. Its face revealed what looked to be someone who wasn't human and its red glowing eyes peered out from under the hood. It let out a sinister laugh and showed its sharp teeth. Two other figures also dropped out of the tree, and they were identical to the first figure except their eyes were glowing purple.

The red-eyed being held up its four-clawed hand and formed it into a fist. "We should report this to Master Cyclonis," it said.

The others nodded in agreement and with that, the three of them ran over to the bushes. They all came out while riding their own Skimmers. Before approaching the water, they lifted up their vehicles and brought them into flight mode. Their rides then split to the sides to give them the appearance of having bat-like wings while the wheels kept spinning to keep them aloft. They had now gotten word of something that their master would find useful while in this world, and they were going to make sure she would know.

* * *

Back on the Cyclonian battle cruiser, Master Cyclonis was displeased with what had happened in the last few hours. She paced back and forth in the bridge while Ravess stood with a worried expression on her face. Snipe and the Raptors were also present. They didn't have any luck with finding the dimension stone yet, but that wasn't Cyclonis's concern at the moment. Dark Ace stood off to the side and kept his composure because he was Master Cyclonis's right-hand man and he knew she wouldn't scorn him so easily.

"I can't believe how incompetent you are!" shouted Cyclonis. "I gave you a simple task, and you let the Storm Hawks walk all over you!" Master Cyclonis was getting impatient of having to spend all this time in this world.

Snipe watched as his older sister was receiving Master Cyclonis's fury. He couldn't help but laugh as he said, "Tough luck, sis! Of all the places, you had to run into the Storm Hawks!"

Ravess grunted furiously at Snipe while he continued to laugh, but it halted as Cyclonis interjected. "Silence, Snipe!" she snapped. "You haven't found the dimension stone, either! In fact, no one has!"

"I don't need to explain myself to you, Cyclonis!" said Repton. "Do you honestly think we'd find a crystal instantly in a place unfamiliar to us?!" Even though the Raptors had sided themselves with the Cyclonians, Repton still couldn't take this kind of treatment.

Cyclonis was taken back by Repton's outburst, but it then changed to rage as she narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth. She would soon show the Raptor leader that no one talks to her in that fashion. Before she could react, a Talon stepped in and bowed to her.

Sensing the intrusion, Cyclonis turned around and said, "What is it?!"

The Talon trembled upon seeing Cyclonis's anger. In a weak voice, he said, "The Nightcrawlers have returned, master."

Cyclonis calmed down after hearing the news. She waved her hand to the Talon and said, "Send them in." Cyclonis would forget about Repton's disobedience... for now.

The Talon walked out of the bridge and in came the three black armoured figures called Nightcrawlers. They were part of the elite group of assassin's under Master Cyclonis's bidding, and she luckily had them on the cruiser before it got transported to this world. The red-eyed Nightcrawler was the leader and he bowed upon approaching his master.

Cyclonis knew the Nightcrawlers would bring her results. "Did you find the dimension stone?" she said.

The Nightcrawler leader shook his head and said, "No, master. But—" He was interrupted when he was surrounded by a fuchsia-coloured aura. The Nightcrawler was then brought forward by some unseen force.

Everyone watched to see Master Cyclonis bring the Nightcrawler up to her as she held out her staff. On one end was a fuchsia crystal glowing within the large metal claws, and the other end held a white crystal within smaller clutches. The Nightcrawler had a look of horror on his face as he looked at Cyclonis's angry expression.

"Then why are you wasting my time?!" Cyclonis said in a furious tone.

The Nightcrawler struggled while in the aura but still managed to deliver his report. "Because," he said, "I... have something else... that could benefit you, master!"

Curious, Cyclonis put her finger to her lips to think about what the Nightcrawler said. She lowered her staff and the aura around her servant dissipated. The Nightcrawler leader dropped to his claws and knees while breathing heavily.

"I'm listening," said Cyclonis.

The Nightcrawler knelt before Master Cyclonis and said, "While we were out searching, we overheard that a previous ruler in this world was locked away on an island; a woman who goes by the name of Azula. From what we heard, she would take over this world and rule it with an iron fist. Perhaps you could set her free, and then you could work together to eliminate the Storm Hawks and find the dimension stone."

Master Cyclonis thought about the idea while the others watched. Normally, she wouldn't turn to anyone else for help but this was a desperate time. Knowing that someone out there was similar to her could give her an advantage.

_She seems like my kind of person_, thought Cyclonis.

"Very well," said Cyclonis. "I shall go meet this Azula and see if I can get her to join my efforts." Turning over to her commanders, she said, "Dark Ace, come with me. The rest of you, stay here and try not to disappoint me further."

"As you wish," said Dark Ace.

Master Cyclonis, Dark Ace and the Nightcrawlers walked out of the bridge, leaving the others behind grunting in annoyance. Now that the Cyclonian ruler knew of someone in a similar position, she would go to her and see if she would gain her trust.

From out of the Cyclonian battle cruiser came Cyclonis and Dark Ace on their Switchblade Elites. They headed in the direction the Nightcrawlers specified where they found the island. Both rides set out through the night sky, and the riders had intent looks on their faces. Cyclonis had her hood back up so her hair wouldn't rustle in the wind. As she travelled, she knew there was some way she could get Azula to become her partner.

Eventually, the two Cyclonians reached the island. There they could make out the figure of a building within a wall in the dark. Cyclonis smiled as she always knew her Nightcrawlers were reliable.

Cyclonis and Dark Ace swooped down to the island and landed their Switchblades after reverting them to vehicle mode. After that, they walked up to the gate where two Fire Nation soldiers were posted. Upon seeing the two strangers, they stood in defensive positions.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" said one of the soldiers.

Cyclonis opened up her hood and flashed a sinister smile. "I won't explain myself to the likes of you. Dark Ace, if you please."

"My pleasure," replied Dark Ace. The Talon commander then reached for his sword, igniting the blades and firing two red pulses at the soldiers.

The two soldiers had no time to defend themselves so they took the shots while crying in pain and hit the ground. The shouting soon got the attention of the guards patrolling the wall. Looking down, they saw two unknown figures heading towards the gate.

"Intruders!" shouted a guard.

Master Cyclonis looked at the large metal doors. Thinking it was no challenge for her; she extended her staff and pointed the white crystal at the doors. The crystal flashed a bright light that seared through the metal, causing it to melt the lock. A large hole now stood in between the doors, and Cyclonis and Dark Ace made their way inside the facility.

By the time they entered, guards had barred their way. They all stood in a row and swiftly extended their fists. A jet of flame came from each of the guards so they could stop the intruders.

Cyclonis saw the flames coming and merely laughed. If this was the best they could do, then she would show them they were powerless against her. Holding up her hand, the flames were halted as a barrier surrounded herself and Dark Ace. All the guards were stunned at the sight to see someone wield such power.

"My turn," said Cyclonis. Extending the fuchsia crystal on her staff, she fired a pulse that exploded and sent all the guards flying and screaming as they crashed into the wall.

Dark Ace saw more guards coming and he smirked while getting his sword ready. All the guards released more flames, but the Talon commander managed to evade them while running up to them. After jumping over another flame, he landed in the group of guards and spun around, hitting them all with his sword and flurries of kicks. Dark Ace looked around him to see all the guards lying on the ground and groaning in pain after having been beaten. He let out laughter as if knowing he couldn't lose to such amateurs.

"These fools pale in comparison to us!" said Dark Ace.

"Now it's time we made our way inside," said Cyclonis.

Dark Ace nodded in agreement and walked over with Cyclonis to the building. A slash from his sword removed the door's hinges, and a kick sent the door to the floor. Inside they could see many different holding cells with people inside them. They were all dressed in ragged clothing and had long, messy hair with distraught looks on their faces while looking at the Cyclonians. It was obvious to Cyclonis that this was a mental health facility.

"Stop right there!" came a voice.

Cyclonis snapped back to reality as she saw another group of guards coming towards her. They all got ready to use their firebending against her, but she shook her head and held up her staff. At that moment, all the guards were now covered in a fuchsia-coloured aura. They all let out frightening shouts as they were suddenly lifted into the air and slammed into the wall, knocking them unconscious.

Walking further, Cyclonis and Dark Ace came upon more guards waiting for them. Now it was Dark Ace's turn to dispose of the pestering fools. Before the guards could shoot their flames, Dark Ace spun in the air as he was covered with a red aura. All the guards froze upon seeing Dark Ace and looked with horrified expressions to see a person do something unknown to them. The Talon commander brought up his sword and then swiftly brought it down as he fired his Lightning Rage attack. A large red pulse sped towards the guards and sent them all flying from its sheer power.

(A/N: I didn't make up the name Lightning Rage. I checked the _Storm Hawks Wiki_ and found that's what Dark Ace's special move is called.)

Cyclonis looked amongst her to see the defeated guards sprawled out on the floor. "I think we'd better get some help about this place," she said.

The Cyclonian ruler extended her finger and pointed at a guard, and he was forcibly brought up through Cyclonis's telekinetic powers in the fuchsia aura. The man groaned as he looked into the face of one of the intruders.

"Where is Azula?" Cyclonis demanded.

The guard scowled at the demand and said, "What makes you think I'd tell you?"

"Oh, I have my methods."

Cyclonis brought up her staff and extended the fuchsia crystal to the guard's face. It then glowed brightly, and soon the guard's eyes were glowing the same colour. Now the guard could be manipulated to Cyclonis's will.

"Azula is at the top of the tower behind the metal door," said the guard. He then pointed over to a metal door, indicating that was where they would go up the tower.

Cyclonis laughed and said, "Thank you for your time." She drew back her hand and let the guard hit the floor. "Let's go."

Master Cyclonis and Dark Ace walked over to the door where the Talon commander fired a pulse, destroying it. Upon entering, they saw a winding staircase going up the tower. There were several floors where more cells were contained, but that didn't concern Cyclonis. She looked all the way at the top to find the room she wanted.

"I'm going on ahead," said Cyclonis. "Stay here and don't let anyone get in my way."

Dark Ace bowed in response to his master's order. The Cyclonian ruler levitated and rose up through the centre of the tower, passing by each floor as she made her way to the top. There she could see two more guards positioned outside a metal door. The guards got ready to shoot out flames at Cyclonis, but she held up her hand to stop the attacks. The flames were suspended in mid-air before she pushed her hand out and deflected them. The guards were sent to the floor by their own attacks, leaving Cyclonis free to complete her task.

Master Cyclonis smiled while looking at the door and soon she held up her staff and pointed the white crystal at the lock. A bright flash made the lock burn and soon melt away, letting the door casually open.

Cyclonis walked into the dark room to see a lone figure sitting in the middle of the floor. It was a fifteen year old girl with long, black hair covering her face. She was clothed in a simple white, ragged shirt and matching shorts. Her legs were crossed over each other and showed her bare feet. She remained still since she was bound by shackles on her wrists and ankles that were chained to the floor. When the door opened, her piercing yellow eyes looked through her hair. She shook her head to get a better look at the one who opened the door, and merely let out an apathetic hum like she didn't know what to make of the situation.

"Are you Azula?" said Cyclonis.

"Who wants to know?" said the girl.

"You may call me Cyclonis, and I'm here to release you."

Azula only looked down at the stone floor and said, "Why should I trust you? I've already had people betray me in the past, and I had known them for years."

"Because," replied Cyclonis, "I can help you get back what's rightfully yours. And in exchange, you must aid me in my cause."

Azula brought her head up when she heard about what should belong to her. In that instant, her thoughts mulled over how she was crowned the new Fire Lord from her father until her brother and the Water Tribe girl came and took it away from her. Being in that position of power once again would make her not only the ruler over the Fire Nation but also the ruler over the entire world.

Looking at Cyclonis, she asked, "What exactly do you mean by 'your cause'?"

Cyclonis spread out her arms and said, "Well, as you can tell by my... appearance, I'm not from this world. I was planning to send my enemies here, but I and my minions wound up coming here as well.

"Luckily for me, the object I require to return to my world is somewhere here. I've tried sending my buffoonish servants to search for it, but they haven't found any trace of the stone.

"My proposition is this: I will free you and get you back into power, and then you will rally your army to help me find the stone and finish off my enemies."

Azula was still as she thought over Cyclonis's deal. It would give her the opportunity to become Fire Lord once again, and she would finally have her revenge against her brother and the Avatar. She figured while in power, she would owe a debt to this girl for freeing her and giving back her birthright. Azula could tell Cyclonis was serious about what she said, and she already made up her mind.

Before she would agree, Azula narrowed her eyes and gave a wicked smile, giving her a sociopathic look, saying, "And what makes you think I won't try to blast you into flames when you free me?"

Cyclonis laughed at the remark and said, "Because, one, I would stop you before you could take a step; and two, you know I'm right. We can help each other out and in the end; we'll both have our retribution. So, do we have a deal?"

Azula's eyes looked with delight. Her smile got wider as she said, "Of course."

Cyclonis smiled back and extended her staff. The fuchsia crystal began to glow and auras appeared on Azula's shackles. The metal cuffs began to move until they were ripped apart, setting Azula free. The former Fire Nation princess stood up after being imprisoned and was glad to finally get what she wanted the most: vengeance.

Azula and Cyclonis walked out of the room, and the Cyclonian ruler used her powers to levitate herself and Azula down the staircase. Azula wasn't afraid at all by the powers shown by Cyclonis, and she only smiled when she knew how powerful she really was. Dark Ace remained at the bottom, and he saw his master and another girl come down from the top.

When the two new allies landed, Dark Ace said, "I await your next command, master."

"Azula," said Cyclonis, "this is the Dark Ace, my most loyal and trustworthy follower."

Azula looked him over and said, "You look like a worthy fighter."

"Anyone who dares to get in my way will surely suffer," replied Dark Ace.

Azula gave a short chuckle and said, "I like him already."

Just then, another guard came running down the hallway. Azula was the first to spot him, and she was also the first to react. She twisted her hands in front and sent them out, releasing a jet of blue flame. The guard screamed as the fire knocked him out, and Azula was left with a feeling of satisfaction.

"It felt so good to do that again," said Azula. "Before we leave, there are some things I need to pick up first."

Azula then walked down a hallway while Cyclonis and Dark Ace followed her in astonishment. They witnessed what Azula was capable of, and now they knew she will be useful in helping them get rid of the Storm Hawks.

Now Azula was standing in front of a wooden door. She turned to her new companions and said, "I'll be out in a moment."

Azula opened the door and stepped into the room while Dark Ace and Cyclonis remained in the hallway. After a few minutes, the door opened again to reveal Azula but now she was dressed differently. Instead of her previous ragged clothes, she was now wearing black armour with gold trim over a red long-sleeved shirt and pants, and her feet were covered with black boots that were curved upward at the tips. Part of her hair was now tied back in a small bun that was held in place with a pin in the shape of a flame while her bangs hung loosely to the sides of her face.

Cyclonis pondered Azula's new look and said, "It suits you."

"I'm done being in this wretched place," said Azula. "Now let's head for my kingdom."

Both Cyclonis and Dark Ace complied with Azula and they all walked to the exit. The guards they defeated earlier were still in the last places where they left them as they all rolled around in pain.

Coming out the gate, Azula looked up to see one guard still standing up on the wall with a bird perched on its gloved arm. She knew it was a messenger hawk, warning the Fire Lord about how she had escaped. The hawk was sent into the air as the guard released it. It took flight and was now headed in the direction of the Fire Nation capital.

Dark Ace also saw the hawk and got his sword ready in an attempt to shoot it down, but then Azula grabbed his arm and made him stop.

"No," she said. "I want them to know I'm coming."

Dark Ace de-activated his sword and placed it on his back as he got onto his Switchblade Elite. Cyclonis got onto hers while Azula joined her. The two vehicles rode and then switched to flight mode. Both Switchblades soared off into the night with the former Fire Nation princess in tow.

Glancing back at Azula, Cyclonis said, "I think we're going to be best friends."

* * *

BlueTiger321: =O Oh no! Now Azula's free and she's with Master Cyclonis! Could things possibly get any worse?

Zuko: Hey, why did you have to make my psychopathic sister part of this story?

Azula: Ha! You won't be calling me a psychopath after I crush you!

Zuko: Big words! I challenge you to an Agni Kai!

Azula: Fine!

BlueTiger321: Hey you two! Save it for the story! So folks, stay tuned to find out what happens in the next chapter. Until next time...

Zuko: Read and review!


	5. Chapter 5: Uninvited Guests

Chapter 5: Uninvited Guests

BlueTiger321: Okay, so now the next chapter is up. If you read the chapter's title, then I'm sure you know what's about to happen. Enjoy!

Within the Fire Nation capital sat the most luxurious building surrounded by walls in the volcano crater's centre, the palace. It was suitable for members of royalty with lavish gardens and ponds decorating the exterior. The palace itself had two buildings situated on the sides while a tall red tower stood in the middle as they stood atop stone steps. Each building was embellished with a golden rooftop to exemplify the palace's beauty.

The _Condor_ had now landed itself in front of the palace with Aang and Appa waiting on the top step just as the sun was beginning to set. The engines had been shut off and the ramp had been extended, revealing all the passengers inside the ship.

Upon seeing the palace up close, the Storm Hawks, still clad in their armour, were awed by its magnificence. They had been to many interesting places on Atmos but nowhere near as exuberating as witnessing a glorious palace of such intricate design.

"So, what do you think?" asked Zuko.

"What do I think?" said Finn. "I think I'm gonna enjoy my time in this place!" The marksman couldn't contain his giddiness as he looked at the palace.

"Finn, be polite!" scolded Piper.

"It's okay," said Zuko. "You're my guests here, so I expect you to be amazed."

"I can't wait to see what it looks like inside," said Aerrow as Radarr joined him on his shoulder, giving a chirp of agreement.

The group re-joined with Aang and Appa when they got to the top of the steps. When they got close to the entrance, two Fire Nation soldiers ran forward and intercepted the Storm Hawks, looking ready to firebend if necessary. The Storm Hawks stopped in their tracks and looked like they had done something by accident.

"Fire Lord," said one of the soldiers, "who are these strange people?"

"These people saved the lives of civilians in the lower quarter," said Zuko. "They are now welcome guests under my protection."

The soldiers heard the order and lowered their guards. Bowing to Zuko, the first one said, "My apologies, Fire Lord. It won't happen again."

Zuko nodded to the soldier and walked into the open gate along with Aang and his friends. The Storm Hawks were also allowed entry and while Aerrow walked past the soldiers; Radarr looked at them and stuck out his tongue to blow a raspberry. The soldiers were left aghast to see a creature do something like that.

Stork looked at the soldiers and taking advantage of Zuko's hospitality, he said, "I better not see any scratches on my ship when I come back!" He proceeded by motioning with his hand that he had his eyes on them before going into the palace, leaving the soldiers taken back by the comment.

The group had now entered the Throne Room before the giant doors were closed shut. It was a large room covered with black tiles and many black pillars with gold bases lining the floor to support the roof. At the far end was the throne on a raised platform where the Fire Lord sat when addressing inquiries. Fire surrounded the throne while a painting of a fire-breathing dragon decorated the back wall.

The Storm Hawks stood exhilarated over the palace's interior. Being in such a place rarely came to a normal person, and they were glad to view it in all its splendour.

"I could learn so much from this place," said Piper with her eyes open in excitement.

"Well," said Junko, "it sure looks... uh, big."

"I'll bet you could throw an awesome party in this place," said Finn.

The group then burst into laughter upon hearing Finn's comment. It soon stopped when they all saw two figures walk into the room. One was a fifteen year old girl wearing a long red dress underneath a darker red overcoat. Her hands were covered with black, fingerless gloves while black shoes curved at the tips adorned her feet. Her yellow eyes were complimented with her black hair tied into two small buns at the top of her head while two long strands fell to her sides.

The other figure was an old man dressed in a green robe with a long, yellow undershirt, and brown shoes. Despite his age, he appeared to be in great shape. His soothing, yellow eyes went well with his gray hair growing from the back and sides of his balding scalp. His most notable feature was the long and bushy gray beard that touched his chest.

Zuko ran up to the old man first and embraced him in a large hug. "Uncle!" he said in joy. The man hugged Zuko back with a huge grin on his face.

The two then broke apart with Zuko saying, "I'm surprised you came all the way out here."

"Well you shouldn't be," said Zuko's uncle. "Isn't an uncle allowed to visit his nephew?" Turning his gaze over to the Storm Hawks, he asked, "Who are your friends?"

Zuko brought his hands over and replied, "These are the Storm Hawks." Pointing to each of them, he gave out their names. "Aerrow, Piper, Finn, Junko, Stork and Radarr. They helped us to protect my people." Turning to the Storm Hawks, he said, "This is my Uncle Iroh."

Aerrow was the first to introduce himself as he said, "It's nice to meet you, sir."

The girl joined the conversation, saying in a blasé tone, "Aren't you going to introduce me, Zuko?"

Zuko felt embarrassed for not remembering her. He said, "...And this is Mai. She's what you might call... my girlfriend."

Everyone heard the comment and expected Mai to take offense. Instead, she just gave a blank look and walked over to Zuko. Looking at each other, they both smiled and shared a quick kiss before breaking apart.

"I really thought she'd let him have it," Piper whispered to Katara.

"That's the thing about Mai," said Katara. "You never really know what she's going to do."

Mai stared back at Zuko and said, "That's fine with me." She then looked over at the Storm Hawks with the same expression. The Sky Knight squadron looked at her in wonder, trying to figure out what she made of them. After a few seconds, she said, "You look different."

"That's because we're not from this world," said Aerrow.

Iroh opened his eyes in disbelief, saying, "Really?"

"We can talk about that later," said Aang.

"You're right," said Zuko. "I'm sure you're all probably hungry. Let's discuss it at dinner."

Sokka rubbed his hands together with glee and said, "Yes! I'm starving here!"

"You and me both, bro," said Finn.

The group had now followed Zuko as he led them all to the dining hall. There, they were all seated at the long table. The Storm Hawks sat next to each other across from the Avatar's group.

Appa, Momo and Radarr sat down in the Throne Room while various fruits were brought over to them. Radarr was upset not being able to sit with his fellow Storm Hawks because he always considered himself as a person. He chirped in annoyance and gave a dissatisfied look while crossing his arms. Momo had offered him a purple berry, and Radarr simply rolled his eyes and took it out of reluctance. Appa, meanwhile, seemed happy with what he was given as he gobbled down all his fruit in one gulp.

Back at the table, everyone waited patiently as many exquisite foods were brought over to them by Zuko's servants. The table was now lined with many different Fire Nation cuisines: roasted duck; rice dishes; dumplings; noodle soups; and smoked sea slug. The Storm Hawks couldn't wait to try out these new foods so they started eating along with the others.

Stork picked up an ocean cumquat by its stem and sniffed it carefully. He narrowed his eyes and said, "I don't know what this is, but I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to it."

Aerrow tried some of the soup. A smile was spread across his face as he felt the broth go down his throat. "Wow, this is really good," he said.

Piper had bitten into a bun and said, "Yeah. My compliments go to your chefs, Zuko."

Aang had swallowed after taking a bite into a mango and said, "I guess we're lucky to be dining with the Fire Lord, huh?"

Mai fondled a cup of tea in her hands. Looking out across the table, she said, "Having this much food here is pointless."

That soon changed as everyone witnessed Junko. The Wallop began to stuff huge amounts of food into his mouth whenever he got the chance. He took a bite out of a leg of roast duck and completely stripped the meat from the bone. He then moved on to a platter of smoked fish, eating the whole thing in one gulp. He didn't stop there as he swallowed the entire smoked sea slug, which didn't seem to bother anyone.

The Storm Hawks just smiled and leaned back in their seats since they had seen this side of Junko before, but the others were stunned to see this. Even Sokka, who had stopped midway from taking a bite out of some komodo chicken, watched in disbelief to see someone was a bigger glutton than him.

Junko then stopped eating and leaned back in his seat. Most of the food on the table was now gone after being devoured by the hungry Wallop. Junko put his hands to his mouth as he let out a burp.

When it was over, Aerrow turned to Mai and said, "No, I think it was enough."

"Sounds like the big guy ate the whole table," said Toph.

Junko turned his head over to Zuko and politely asked, "What's for dessert?"

Zuko's eyes widened in shock upon hearing that. He couldn't believe the Wallop was still hungry after eating nearly every dish on the table.

Iroh changed the subject after taking a sip from his tea. He looked at Aerrow and asked, "So what are you doing here, anyway?"

"We came here during a battle with our enemies," said Aerrow.

Taking over, Piper said, "Our world uses crystals for pretty much everything on a daily basis. In that battle, Master Cyclonis planned to use a dimension stone against us but she and her followers came here as well when Aerrow accidentally set off the stone."

"I see," said Iroh while rubbing his chin. "Is there any way for you to get back?"

"The only way is to get the dimension stone before the Cyclonians do, and it should be somewhere here in this world," replied Aerrow.

"Yeah," added Finn. "And we should count ourselves lucky that nothing else has gone wrong."

No sooner did Finn say that when a Fire Nation soldier came running into the dining hall. Zuko noticed him and stood up from his seat with a look of concern on his face.

"Fire Lord!" shouted the soldier.

"Nice going, Finn," said Stork sarcastically. "Now you've jinxed it."

"What is it?" said Zuko.

The soldier caught his breath and then stood up to face Zuko. Sweat trickled down his face both from running and from learning of the news he had to deliver. "Azula has escaped from the mental facility!" he said.

All the people familiar with that name then rose from their seats. Katara gasped while the others all open their eyes in fear.

"No!" said Aang.

"This is bad! Really, _really_ bad!" said Sokka.

Aerrow didn't know the reason for this panic. Asking calmly, he said, "Who's Azula?"

Zuko clenched his fists and said, "She's my sister, and she's a fearsome firebender who aided my father in trying to win the war."

"She was my friend until she had me locked away for helping Zuko and his friends," said Mai.

"Take it from us," said Toph. "You do not want to get on her bad side."

"If she escaped, then she'll surely head here and try to reclaim the throne," said Katara.

Zuko turned his attention back to the soldier, saying, "How was she able to escape? I thought the security at the facility was flawless!"

"It was, Fire Lord," replied the soldier, "but two people broke into it and busted her out using these strange powers."

The conversation soon piqued Aerrow's curiosity. "Do you know exactly who did it?" he asked.

"From the report," said the soldier, "the people responsible were a man with a glowing sword and a girl who could lift up people from anywhere."

Aerrow stood up from his seat when he recognised the descriptions. "Dark Ace!" he shouted.

Piper also stood up and said, "...And Master Cyclonis!"

"Oh, that's perfect," said Stork with a look of worry on his face. "Now both our enemies have joined forces. We might as well start wishing for our demise to be quick and painless."

"No!" said Zuko. "I'm not going to let Azula take over my kingdom and finish what she started! The war has been horrific to us all. If Azula starts another one then things will only get worse!"

"So what are we going to do?" said Sokka.

"We're going to stay here and fight! Azula has to be taken down before it's too late!"

"Well we'd better be prepared," said Aerrow. "If she's allied herself with the Cyclonians, then it's only a matter of time until they arrive."

"Wait," said Aang. He had a skeptical look on him while facing Zuko. Noticing his concern, Zuko patiently waited for Aang to give his explanation. "Zuko," he said, "I know that Azula is dangerous, but I'm not sure if I can go through with ending her life."

"I know what you mean, Aang," said Zuko. "You had the same conflicting emotions while facing my father. All I expect from you is to fulfill your duties as the Avatar."

Aang let out a sigh of relief. "Okay," he said.

Zuko turned back to the soldier and said, "Send word to have the ships ready for the citizens to evacuate in case things escalate. Then get every soldier around the palace to prepare for Azula's arrival."

"Yes, my lord," said the soldier. He then exited the dining hall with the orders in mind.

The young Fire Lord turned to his old and new friends and said, "Let's head to the Throne Room. Azula will probably head there first."

Everyone agreed with Zuko's plan as they all stood up around him and smiled.

"A friend of the Cyclonians is an enemy of ours," said Aerrow. "We'll help you defend your land." His fellow teammates all nodded their heads in agreement and Finn showed his pistol fingers.

Mai joined in, saying, "...And don't forget about me."

"Mai?" said Zuko. "But... I could never ask you to go through with this."

"This is my home, too. You can't expect me to just take this lying down."

Iroh walked up next to her and said, "I don't normally fight family, but in Azula's case I'll make an exception."

Zuko took in those words with quiet deliberation. He knew his girlfriend was right, and she also excelled in combat. His uncle had also taught him everything he knows about firebending so he could definitely depend on him. "All right," he conceded.

Once everyone had made up their minds, they all walked out of the dining hall. Finn stopped when he spotted a morsel of food left on the table. A grin formed on his face as he thought he would be the one to have it while everyone kept walking. Before he could grab it, Junko took hold of him and made him go with the others.

"Hey!" Finn shouted in protest.

"Come on, Finn," said Junko.

The blonde sharpshooter only groaned as he was forced to exit the room. Now the combined forces of the Avatar's group and the Storm Hawks would have to work together to stop both their enemies from fulfilling their intentions.

* * *

The guards outside the palace were now on high alert after receiving the order Azula would return. They all stood at their posts ready for the impending attack.

Down at the harbour, every citizen had gotten word of the danger that was to come and so they all hurried to get onto a ship. Their Fire Lord had decreed it would be safer for them instead of remaining in their homes. The Fire Nation navy had more than enough ships to accommodate for the citizens so it wasn't a problem.

Meanwhile, the Cyclonian battle cruiser loomed over the night sky, heading towards the Fire Nation capital. It was because of Azula that the Talons were able to locate it within a faster time.

The battle cruiser halted in mid-air over the palace and out came Master Cyclonis along with Dark Ace, Ravess, Snipe, a group of Talons and the Nightcrawlers on their rides. Azula rode with Cyclonis as they all headed down to the palace. All the vehicles touched down to the ground, sending a wave of fear to the patrolling soldiers. Azula wasted no time as she jumped from Cyclonis's Switchblade and came down while extending her palms. A stream of blue fire erupted from her hands and made the soldiers collapse in pain. The wicked girl smiled, seeing she was now standing in front of the palace.

Snipe also looked at the palace and was the first one to notice the _Condor_ parked near the gates. "Hey," he said, "the Storm Hawks are here, too! Let's go in and smash 'em!"

Azula held up her hand to halt the burly Talon commander. "Let me go in first," she said. "I'm sure my brother would want to see me after such a long time."

Azula ran up the steps to the gigantic doors. Two more soldiers were standing watch there. Seeing Azula, they each released a jet of flame, but the former princess jumped to avoid each attack and came down while swinging her leg vertically. A line of fire shot out, hitting the soldiers and sending them to the ground. Azula gave a smirk as she looked at the doors, and then shot out her fist to open them with a fireball.

The doors burst open to let Azula inside, and she was met with a familiar face upon entering the Throne Room. There standing in the centre was her brother, Zuko. The Fire Lord had a look of determination on his face, letting the intruder know he wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Hello, Zuko," said Azula. "...Or should I say _Fire Lord_ Zuko."

"You won't be asserting yourself to the throne, Azula," said Zuko. "I won't let you!"

"Oh, really? Are you going to stop me? Face it, Zuko. You know that I'm a superior firebender. Why, in our last Agni Kai, it was I who had beaten you."

"I haven't forgotten, Azula. I have something that will always remind me." Zuko then rubbed the spot over his stomach where Azula had given him the scar from her lightning.

Azula gave a short chuckle and said, "Yes, well if it hadn't been for your friend getting involved, I would still be the Fire Lord."

"I'm lucky to have a friend like Katara, as well as Aang, Sokka and Toph. They were brave enough to stand up to a sociopath like you... and they still are!"

At that moment, Zuko's friends all came out from behind the pillars. Aang got out his staff while Sokka unsheathed his sword. Katara, Toph and Iroh all struck poses relevant to their bending abilities, and Mai held throwing daggers in each of her hands. All the Storm Hawks, except for Stork, were the next to reveal themselves. Each of them held up their weapons at the ready while Radarr jumped out in front and growled with an angry look.

Upon seeing Mai, Azula smiled devilishly at her former friend and said, "Well Mai, it's good to see you."

"I wish I could say the same, but it's not," replied Mai.

"Face it, Azula!" said Aang. "You're outnumbered!"

"I can see that," replied Azula. "Then I'll just have to invite my friends."

Everyone watched to see the Cyclonians entering the palace. Master Cyclonis stood up front wielding her staff while giving a sinister smile, Dark Ace activated his sword, Ravess taut an arrow into her bow, Snipe pounded his mace into his hand, and the Talons all held up their battle staves.

Aerrow leered at Dark Ace with intent while Piper did the same to Cyclonis. Their worst enemies had now arrived and allied with someone to bring harm to this world. The very thought of it made Aerrow despise Cyclonia even more.

"Let's go, everyone!" shouted the Sky Knight.

Everyone on both sides then charged into battle. Zuko started off by shooting flames at Azula from his fists. She merely dodged each attack and countered with her own flames. Zuko managed to evade the attacks from his sister and kept on shooting his own fire. Their flames of both orange and blue were mixed together in a brilliant display.

Meanwhile, Aerrow was now facing against Dark Ace. The Talon commander laughed while slashing down with his sword. Aerrow blocked it with his daggers and pushed back with all his might. Dark Ace was thrown back but recovered quickly as he blocked Aerrow's attacks.

Dark Ace locked blades with Aerrow once more and said, "Why do you fight for these people? This isn't even our world."

"Because a Sky Knight protects people!" said Aerrow. "And as far as I'm concerned, that includes the people of this world!"

The Sky Knight and Talon commander continued their battle just as Piper faced off against Master Cyclonis. Both held their staves tightly, and then Cyclonis made the first move. She swung down but Piper managed to block it in time with her own staff.

"If it wasn't for your meddling," said Cyclonis, "I would still be on Atmos and I would no longer have to worry about you Storm Hawks ever again."

"Yeah?" said Piper. "Well you can't get rid of us that easily!"

Piper then fired a shot from her staff while Cyclonis did the same. The two pulses hit each other and temporarily blinded each combatant. Cyclonis was the first to recover, and she swung her staff to the side but barely missed Piper as she performed a backflip.

Finn looked at Ravess through his crossbow's targeting lenses just as she taut an arrow. In an instant, both fired their shots and collided with each other. Once again, Ravess's arrow was stronger than Finn's bolt as it soared through the air upon destroying it and knocked away Finn's crossbow. The weapon slid across the floor, leaving the sharpshooter smiling sheepishly. Ravess only laughed as she fired another arrow. Finn covered his face with his hands to wait being hit, but then heard something coming. He saw a shuriken come out of nowhere to slice the arrow before it hit him. Both Finn and Ravess looked to see Mai standing there as she held shurikens in her hands.

With Ravess distracted, Finn rolled on the floor and grabbed his crossbow. He fired three shots at Ravess, but the Talon commander saw them coming and dodged each bolt. Mai then threw the rest of her shurikens that collided with three of Ravess's arrows.

_Whoa, she's awesome_, Finn thought while he looked at Mai.

Junko clenched his Knuckle Busters while Snipe stood in front of him with his mace. Both opponents narrowed their eyes, waiting for the other to make a move. Snipe then ran forward while holding up his mace and shouting. Junko soon ran forward as well while holding up his fists. The two weapons then smashed against each other as the two fighters were trying to prove their strength. Each time Snipe swung his mace, Junko blocked it with his fists. The fight soon changed as Snipe swung his mace horizontally, knocking Junko to his side. The Wallop slid to the floor as he clutched the side where Snipe hit him. He looked up to see the brute laughing at him.

"Now I'm gonna turn you into a Wallop pancake!" said Snipe.

The Talon commander raised his mace high and Junko closed his eyes to wait for the blow. Suddenly, Snipe heard the sound of chirping and opened his eyes in curiosity. Junko opened his eyes to see Radarr holding onto Momo's legs. The winged lemur swooped down to Snipe and Radarr let go, landing in front of the burly man's face. Snipe screamed and stumbled backward as his vision was clouded by Radarr's furry body.

"Get off of me!" shouted Snipe.

Junko took this opportunity to stand up and charge at Snipe. The Wallop tackled the Talon commander in the stomach just as Radarr jumped off from him and sent him into one of the pillars. Snipe sat up and saw stars spinning around his head while he groaned in pain. Junko smiled at his victory just as Momo and Radarr came up and chirped at him.

"Thanks, you guys," said Junko.

Aang did his part by fighting the Talons. A group went to charge at him with their staves pointed out, but the boy Avatar swung his own staff, making air shoot out and blowing away his attackers.

Katara and Toph stood back to back against each other just as Talons surrounded them. In one swift motion, Katara turned around and opened her carrier when a Talon jabbed at her. She moved the water around at the last second and used it to hit the attacker. Toph then sensed two more Talons approaching, so she held out her palms and moved her foot forward. The Talons each tried to fire a shot, but Toph made two large rocks shoot out from underneath the tile floor and sent them flying at the Cyclonians.

Toph turned to her friend and said smugly, "How was that, Sugar Queen?"

"Not bad," replied Katara, "but next time, don't leave it until the last second."

Sokka held his own against the Talons as he used his sword skills, blocking each hit with a staff and striking at every given moment. Iroh soon joined him by hitting the Talons with a wave of fire. The two of them were now side by side against more incoming Talons.

"I see that Piandao taught you well," said Iroh.

"Yeah," replied Sokka. "All that training really helps for these situations."

The two of them went back into battle, eager to even the odds.

Zuko and Azula kept fighting with neither one getting the edge on the other. When one shot out a flame, the other managed to block it with another flame or evade in time. Eventually, the two siblings looked at each other with stern looks. They each held out their fists and released a large stream of fire with the two colliding in the middle. Both firebenders were now even but pressed forward, hoping to beat the other.

Zuko yelled as sweat beaded down his face. Then with all his might, he made his flames engulf the other and caused Azula to hit the floor. The girl looked up at the Fire Lord and showed rage in her eyes.

"You lose, Azula," said Zuko. "Now get out of my kingdom!"

Azula smirked, saying, "You think it was that easy? Then you're in for a surprise." With that, she nodded to Cyclonis.

The Cyclonian ruler got the signal from Azula just as she pushed away Piper. "Nightcrawlers, attack!" she shouted.

Everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard the call. In an instant, the black armoured figures under Cyclonis's command stepped out from the shadows with their arm mounted crossbows at the ready.

The Storm Hawks all had shivers going down their spines upon seeing the Nightcrawlers. They knew what they were like and with them being here; the battle was now going to get more intense.

Now all the Talons, the Cyclonian commanders and the Nightcrawlers were charging on the Avatar's group and the Storm Hawks. With the additional fighters on the Cyclonians' side, the odds were now against the others.

Zuko and Azula continued to fight each other, and Aerrow and Dark Ace were doing the same. Piper was now forced to face off against the Nightcrawlers along with Junko, Finn, Katara, Toph and Mai.

One of the black armoured warriors fired a shot from its crossbow, but Katara shouted, "Toph, behind you!"

Toph reacted to the warning and blocked the shot with a slab of earth. The Talons and the Nightcrawlers then fired shots from each of their weapons. Piper had managed to deflect them with one of her crystals, but it would soon run out of power and leave them all unprotected.

Sokka and Iroh still fought side by side against the Talons, but they were soon becoming unable to fight them along with the Nightcrawlers. Iroh had sent wave after wave of fire at the Talons unaware the Nightcrawler leader had his eyes on him. The malicious figure laughed as he got a purple crystal out from his robe. Iroh still kept fighting his targets while the Nightcrawler leader crept up behind him. The old man turned around just as the sneaking figure pointed his crystal at Iroh's chest. He tried to counter the attack, but it was too late. Iroh took a pulse of purple energy into his left shoulder, causing him to scream in agony as he hit the floor.

Zuko soon turned around when he heard the shouting. There, his heart sank in his chest when he saw Iroh lying in pain.

"Uncle!" he shouted in terror.

Zuko ran from his sister to aid his uncle. The Fire Lord was joined with Aang as they both rushed over to Iroh's side.

Sensing her opportunity, Azula twirled her fingers around in a circle formation. Sparks could be seen swirling around her until they formed a continuous stream of lightning.

Aerrow looked away just as he clashed blades with Dark Ace. Knowing that Azula was going to strike a downed opponent, he had to act fast. The Sky Knight pushed away from Dark Ace and ran over to where Aang and Zuko were headed.

By that time, Azula had now formed lightning, the most advanced technique of firebending. She saw that Zuko was now distracted, which would be the perfect time to finish this battle. She shot her hand forward, shooting the lightning in a straight path.

While Zuko tended to his uncle, he began to see a blue flash from the corner of his eye. His eyes were wide open as he saw the lightning coming towards him and he had no time to re-direct it. Just then, Aerrow came running in as he was surrounded with a blue aura. The Sky Knight then leapt into the air and performed his Lightning Claw technique. The large blue pulse went to intercept the lightning and caused both to create an explosion of blue light.

When the light subsided, Aerrow could see that he and his friends were now the ones outnumbered against the Cyclonians. He could see Azula smirking as Dark Ace, Cyclonis, Ravess and Snipe joined her while laughing. The Talons and the Nightcrawlers were right behind them with their weapons ready to fire.

"There's too many of them!" said Aerrow.

"So what do we do?" asked Aang.

Aerrow took in a deep breath. He never thought he'd have to say these words in such a desperate time. "We have to fall back," he said.

"But what about Azula?" said Sokka.

"Aerrow's right," said Katara. "If we keep fighting like this, we'll become overwhelmed."

Aerrow looked forward to see the gate was left open, and now was their best time to make their escape. Extending his hands, he shouted, "Everyone, to the gate, now!"

The Storm Hawks and the Avatar's group all ran forward away from the Cyclonians. Zuko and Aang helped Iroh to his feet, and got him to run along with the others. The Cyclonians all laughed and didn't follow, knowing they had won the battle.

Outside the palace, the _Condor_ and Appa were waiting for the others. Aang got up on his sky bison companion and waited for his other friends. Aerrow knew that Iroh was hurt badly and needed immediate medical attention.

"Let's get Iroh onto the _Condor_," he said. "We can treat his injuries in there."

The others nodded to Aerrow and got into the ship with him, leaving Aang to fly alone with Appa. The Avatar and his sky bison took to the air and waited for his friends to do the same.

When the others were safely onboard the _Condor_, Aerrow shouted, "Stork, get us out of here!"

The Merb heard the order and pulled a lever, activating the ship's engines and bringing it into the air. The Cyclonian airship saw the _Condor_ getting away so it fired some shots, but only managed to get one hit. The _Condor_ and Appa then flew away from the palace, leaving the Cyclonians to gloat victoriously.

In the palace, Azula then sat herself in the throne, assuming herself to be Fire Lord once again. The girl smiled as a feeling of euphoria welled up inside her.

"Well, it seems you've finally gotten what you've wanted," said Cyclonis, congratulating Azula for her victory.

"Yes," said Azula, "but there is still much to do." The girl brought her hands together while she contemplated her next move, which would ultimately lead to her goal of world domination. Now that the Cyclonians were on her side, it was going to be much easier.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Oh no! Now things have just gone from bad to worse!

Aerrow: Great! As if we didn't have enough problems already.

Piper: Don't worry; we've always gotten out of impossible situations.

Finn: Yeah. Like the time when Junko thought he was the Masked Masher.

Stork: As I recall, that was _your_ fault.

Finn: *smiles sheepishly* Oh yeah. My bad.

BlueTiger321: Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter, folks. Until next time...

Everyone: Read and review!


	6. Chapter 6: A New Mission

Chapter 6: A New Mission

BlueTiger321: Now that the Cyclonians have helped Azula take over the Fire Nation, what are our heroes going to do now? Read and find out for yourselves.

The morning sun was now coming over the horizon and the _Condor_ was parked on a deserted island. Last night's battle with the Cyclonians had forced it to retreat after the Storm Hawks and the Avatar's group lost the battle. Appa remained outside on the runway asleep while Aang had joined everyone inside the ship.

By that time, all the _Condor's_ passengers had just woken up when sunlight bathed itself over their eyes. The Storm Hawks had slept in their own bedrooms and the others, except Iroh, slept on the bridge's floor. They were used to those kinds of conditions after travelling around the world so they didn't mind it. Aerrow and Piper had also given each of them a blanket and a pillow so they could relax.

The Storm Hawks walked into the bridge to greet everyone. Upon joining Aang and his friends, Aerrow could see sad expressions on their faces. He could tell they were now going through a rough time after a serious loss. The Sky Knight knew he'd have to help them in their time of need, especially since his enemies were involved.

"Good morning, everyone," said Aerrow. Noticing someone wasn't present, he said, "Hey Katara, I think you should go see how Iroh is doing."

Katara looked back at Aerrow and nodded while saying, "Right." With that, she stood up and walked over to the doors.

Everyone else was curious to know about Iroh's condition so they all joined Katara as she walked over to the ship's infirmary. The door opened to reveal Iroh lying on a bed having just awoken from his slumber. His robes had been removed and his body was covered with a blanket. A bandage was wrapped around his left shoulder, which was where the Nightcrawler leader had struck him.

Katara went over to him and pulled back the blanket. Iroh was now only wearing dark green pants and his muscular chest was now bare. The waterbender then removed Iroh's bandages to reveal a large black bruise around his shoulder. Zuko dropped his head down in shame upon seeing his uncle's injury. Katara opened up her water carrier and pulled out some of its contents. The water moved slowly in her hand until it formed a flat, swirling piece. She brought the water close to Iroh's shoulder and it started to give off a faint glow. Iroh cringed slightly as his injury was being healed.

Zuko brought his head back up, knowing the situation was under control. "How is he?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"He'll be fine," replied Katara. "He just needs to rest for a little while longer."

"Don't worry about it, Zuko," said Iroh. "You know it would take a lot more than this to bring me down."

"I'm sorry, Uncle," said Zuko. "I wish I could've been there to protect you."

"We all knew the risks. We took part in the battle because we wanted to stop Azula."

"Yeah," said Aang. "Besides, the most important part is that we got away just in time so no one else got hurt." Momo jumped up on Aang's shoulder and chirped as if to say he agreed with the boy.

Katara was now done with treating Iroh's wound so she placed the water back in her carrier. Piper then went over with a first aid kit and pulled out a roll of white bandages. She rolled it around Iroh's shoulder until it was covered, then she cut off the rest with a pair of scissors and made sure the fresh bandage was secure.

"Thank you, both of you," said Iroh, turning to Katara and Piper.

"We should let him rest," said Katara.

Everyone heeded the girl's suggestion and walked out of the infirmary. Piper placed the blanket back over Iroh's chest, letting him take in its warmth. The navigator then joined everyone out the door after it shut to give Iroh some time alone.

The group walked down the hallway back to the bridge where they went to a different area. Aerrow, Piper, Aang and Katara sat themselves at the round couch in the centre while Radarr and Momo jumped onto the table; Stork went over to the controls; Finn, Junko, and Sokka leaned on the couch behind everyone else; Mai and Toph went over to stand by the door; and Zuko went over to the windows by himself.

"Man, I never thought this would happen," said Finn.

"Well it did happen," said Zuko as he looked out the window, "and now the whole world will end up suffering because of my mistake."

"It couldn't be helped, Zuko," said Sokka, turning to the Fire Lord. "The odds were against us..."

Zuko turned around and shouted, "Don't you get it?! I should've been able to stop Azula and now she's back in power! I've failed my people, I've failed my uncle, and I've failed myself!" Zuko then took in a few deep breaths while everyone looked at him with concerned expressions.

When Zuko calmed down, he held his head down in shame and said, "I guess I'm not cut out to be Fire Lord after all..."

Mai walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't say that, Zuko," she said. "You're a better Fire Lord than your father ever was. It's because of you the war finally ended."

Aerrow then stood up from the couch and walked over to Zuko and Mai. "Listen Zuko," he said, "I may not know a lot of things about this world, but I do know that being a leader means you have to make tough decisions. You could've stayed to keep fighting Azula, but instead you chose the safety of your uncle and your friends. You also protected your people by evacuating the capital. I think you made the right move."

Aerrow let the words sink in and continued, saying, "Another thing about being a leader is that you can't always do everything by yourself. Look at me and my team – we've always been able to perform our duties as a Sky Knight squadron, but it's only because we work together. The same thing goes for you, Aang and the others."

Zuko stood in place for a few seconds after hearing Aerrow's words of encouragement. His face then showed a smile as he walked over to Aerrow and patted him on his shoulder. "Thank you, Aerrow," he said.

"So where are the ships going to go, Zuko?" asked Piper.

"I've told my naval fleet to take them to an uncharted island," replied the Fire Lord. "Not even Azula knows about it. My people should be safe there for the time being."

"Good," said Aang as he stood from his seat, "because now we should head for Ba Sing Se."

"Why do we need to go there, Twinkle Toes?" asked Toph.

"We have to warn the Earth King about Azula's inevitable invasion. With the Cyclonians on her side, we'll need all the help we can get."

Stork joined the conversation when he said, "Um... I don't mean to throw a wrench in these plans, but need I remind you all that we still need to find the dimension stone?"

"We haven't forgotten, Stork," said Aerrow, "but right now Aang and the others need our help. And if the Cyclonians are still here, then that means they haven't found it, either."

"Which way do we go?" asked Junko.

"Ba Sing Se is in the Earth Kingdom," replied Aang. "It'll be east of here." The Avatar walked over to Zuko to give his own consolation. "You may not be on the throne, but you're still the Fire Lord. You can still protect your people and help the other nations at this time. And as the Avatar, I promise you I'll do everything in my power to get you back your kingdom."

"I appreciate that, Aang," said Zuko. He turned his attention to all his friends and said, "Everyone, let's go to Ba Sing Se to request help from the Earth King so we can put an end to Azula's reign!"

All the others held up their fists in the air while they cheered with enthusiasm. The fate of this world now rested on their shoulders and they weren't going to let anyone put a hindrance in their plans.

"Head east, Stork," said Aerrow.

The helmsman heeded the order from the Sky Knight as he started up the _Condor's_ engines. Aang, meanwhile, flew out from the open roof using his glider and landed in Appa's saddle. The Avatar gave the command to his sky bison to rise while the ship did the same. They took off to the east where their next destination laid – the Earth Kingdom capital, Ba Sing Se.

* * *

The Fire Nation palace was no longer the peaceful place it once was. With Azula back on the throne and the Cyclonians using it as their temporary base, it had now become a building of terror. Some of the Fire Nation soldiers had been able to escape from Azula's clutches while others were either forced to surrender or concede themselves and join her operations.

Azula sat in the Throne Room with Master Cyclonis and Dark Ace joining her. The three of them were overjoyed from their victory against their enemies. Now they reaped the rewards by taking command over an entire nation.

Dark Ace turned to Azula and said, "It seems you've done very well for yourself."

"Indeed," said Azula. "Now all that I need to do is spread my message across the world to either surrender or face my wrath."

"And how will you do that?" asked Cyclonis. "You don't have very many soldiers in your legions."

Azula stood up from the throne and said, "While I was trapped on that accursed island, I overheard from the guards that some firebenders are still loyal to me and left the army. So I've sent out my followers to go search for them. As well, I think your soldiers will continue to aid me until I've assumed myself as ruler of this world. Your commanders seem very capable of themselves."

At that moment, Snipe came into the Throne Room yelling. Everyone turned around to see the burly man run around with a turtle duck biting his nose.

"Get it off!" he shouted.

Ravess followed Snipe into the room and sighed in anger at her brother's stupidity. She grabbed onto the turtle duck's shell and pulled tightly. Snipe let out another yell as the bird was yanked from his nose, and he then rubbed it to relieve himself of the pain. The turtle duck quacked and moved around to free itself from Ravess's grip, and the Talon commander simply let it go and it landed on the floor to waddle away.

"I told you not to tease the animals, you idiot!" Ravess said in a scornful tone.

"I couldn't help it," said Snipe. "They all look so dumb!"

The reply from her brother made Ravess slap her hand to her shaking head.

Azula, Cyclonis and Dark Ace ignored the display and continued with their conversation. "I've heard that your father is imprisoned," said Dark Ace. "Perhaps you should free him?"

Azula shook her head and replied, "The Avatar took away his firebending. To me, he's nothing but dead weight. And what are we going to do with the Avatar and his friends?"

"I've already sent some of my followers to go after them," replied Cyclonis. "If they can't stop them, then they should at least tell us where they're going."

"I already know where they're going..." said Azula. "They'll head for Ba Sing Se to try and warn everyone about me being back in power. They're welcome to try and stop me, but I'll show them all what I'm truly capable of."

"I'm sure you will," said Cyclonis.

With that, Cyclonis and Dark Ace turned to leave, but the Cyclonian ruler stopped midway. Her back was turned to Azula as she said, "Oh, and I hope you haven't forgotten about the deal we had arranged. I set you free and got you back what you wanted, so now you must aid me in finding the dimension stone. I expect you to keep your end... because it would be a shame if you suddenly lost your seat of power."

Cyclonis left Azula alone with the underlying threat left in her mind. The wicked girl narrowed her eyes, taking those words with great impact. She knew she had a debt to Cyclonis, but the reminder filled her with malicious intent. Even though she had to repay the one who helped her, no one would ever talk to her in that way and walk away from it unscathed.

* * *

The _Condor_ continued to fly eastward over the ocean with Aang leading the way on Appa. In the meantime, everyone onboard the ship went off to do their own tasks. Aerrow went out onto the balcony to check up on Aang to see how he was doing. The Avatar looked behind him to see the Sky Knight, and he simply waved while flashing a grin. The sky bison let out a growl as if to let Aerrow know he was doing fine as well.

Aerrow walked back into the bridge to see Stork at the controls with Mai and Zuko standing close to him.

"I'm bored," said Mai, "and this ship is dull."

Stork perked up his head when he heard the insult about the _Condor_. Turning to Mai with a sneer, he said sarcastically, "Well, I'm so sorry for not sprucing up the _Condor_, but escaping from our enemies kinda took priority!"

"Don't take it personal, Stork," said Zuko. "Mai is always like this."

Aerrow simply rolled his eyes and walked out of the bridge. The next spot he came upon was Piper's room. There, the navigator was chatting with Katara while various crystals were laid out on a table.

"This is amazing," said Katara. "I had no idea your world had such great things."

"Yup," said Piper. "Crystals in Atmos each have different abilities so we use them for almost anything. With the right combinations and by using them properly, they give us the best results."

Katara noticed a blue crystal in front of her. She was curious about it so she picked it up and immediately felt a weird sensation. She then hovered her other hand over the crystal while concentrating, and it started to float in mid-air. Piper saw it and was awed by the feat. Even Aerrow looked on in disbelief while he stared through the doorway.

Soon, Katara let go of her focus and the crystal dropped back into her hand. "How was I able to do that, Piper?" she asked.

"Well, you're a waterbender, right?" replied Piper. "That's a water crystal, so you must've used your waterbending to make the water inside it move to your will."

"That would explain it. Hey, maybe that could be useful for later?"

Both girls laughed at the comment. Rather than interrupt them, Aerrow moved on to the next stop, which was the hangar bay. He opened the doors to see Finn, Sokka, Radarr and Momo standing together near the marksman's Skimmer. Sokka had a look of wonder on his face since he was curious to know about these machines.

"This is my ride," said Finn while holding his hands out in display. "She's my pride and joy. She comes with a pair of Nimbus Seven engines for speed and maneuverability, and a front-mounted retractable crossbow for taking out enemies during aerial combat." Finn proceeded to show by pressing a button to make the crossbow pop up and then back down again.

(A/N: Credit goes to the _Storm Hawks Wiki_ for the info on Finn's Skimmer.)

Sokka's eyes lit up when he saw the Skimmer's function. "That's so awesome!" he said. "What else have you got to show me?"

Finn brought up his eyebrows as he smiled. He leapt off his Skimmer and showed Sokka over to something in the back. The two teenage boys and the two furry cohorts soon came upon an electric guitar hooked up to an amplifier.

The sharpshooter picked up the guitar and said, "Now be prepared to listen... to some killer music."

Radarr held up his front paws and shook his head while chirping in protest. Aerrow cringed at the sight and soon covered his ears.

The next thing that happened was Finn playing on his guitar, and the sound was even louder since it was connected to the amplifier. The notes all came out off-key and Finn kept on strumming as if not paying attention to how awful it sounded. Sokka ended up covering his ears while Momo hissed and stuck his fur up while arching his back.

Finn kept playing but was soon interrupted when the sound was mysteriously cut off. The marksman looked around to find the source and saw Radarr had once again disconnected the guitar from the amplifier. The furry co-pilot let out a chirp of dissatisfaction as he narrowed his eyes.

"Everyone's a critic," said Finn.

Sokka heard the music stopped and so he uncovered his ears. He smiled and gave a thumb's up to Radarr as thanks for interjecting to which the co-pilot gave a salute.

Aerrow smiled at the sight and moved out of the hangar bay without disturbing. His next stop was near the far end of the ship. Junko was by himself to fix the hole in the wall where the Cyclonian battle cruiser had hit it the last time. The Wallop cracked his knuckles and moved one piece back into place. Aerrow was surprised to see that Junko was doing it without using his Knuckle Busters.

The Wallop was about to move another piece when he was startled when someone behind him said, "What'cha doin', Big Guy?"

Junko turned around to see who greeted him, and there he saw the blind girl standing there in the hallway with a smile on her face.

"Oh, hey Toph," said Junko. "I'm just doing some repairs to the ship."

Toph walked up to the Wallop and said, "I can help you with that."

"I don't know. It takes some real strength to move—"

Junko was interrupted when Toph grabbed onto the metal pieces and grunted as she pushed them back into place. The gaping hole was now fixed, and Junko stood in place with his eyes and mouth wide open in disbelief. Aerrow saw it from behind a corner and was also left stunned at what the blind girl did.

"H-h-how did you do that?!" asked Junko. "I thought you could only do that earth-moving... stuff!"

Toph dusted her hands clean and said, "Well, metal is really minerals that have been melted down, so I'm able to apply my earthbending to it." She then noticed someone standing behind a corner and smirked. "You can come out now. I know you're there."

Aerrow stepped out and was confused at how she knew. He greeted Junko and said, "How did you know I was standing there, Toph?"

Toph breathed and said, "You know I'm blind, right? Well, I'm able to see things through my earthbending. I use it to sense vibrations in the ground... or even in metal. I owe it to the badger moles for teaching it to me because if it wasn't for them..." Toph brought her head down, and Aerrow and Junko saw she had a sad look on her face. She continued, "...I would've spent the rest of my life as a helpless, blind girl."

Aerrow came up to her and said, "You should be grateful for your abilities, and I think that—"

The Sky Knight was interrupted as the ship was knocked around. Everyone onboard felt it shake and tried desperately to stay in one place. Not wasting any time, Aerrow, Junko and Toph all ran to the bridge. Everyone else was already there, except for Aang and Appa as they were still flying outside. Iroh also wasn't there because of his injury.

"We're under attack!" cried Stork.

"...By whom?" wondered Katara.

Aerrow looked out the window and saw Repton, Lugey, Spitz and Hoerk all laughing together while riding their Bone Wings. They had now caught up with the _Condor_ and were trying to send it crashing. The four of them turned their vehicles around and brought out their retractable blasters.

"Fire!" shouted Repton.

Repton's brothers followed the order and all shot pulses from firebolt crystals, hitting the _Condor_ directly and causing it to shake once more.

"It's the Raptors!" said Aerrow while narrowing his eyes.

"And their attacks have knocked out the weapons module!" said Stork. "Now we can't use the cannons!"

Sokka looked out to see them and said, "Seriously, how many enemies do you guys have?"

"If we can't blast them from here," said Aerrow, "then we'll have to take the fight to them. Let's get to our rides and head out!"

The Storm Hawks, excluding Stork, all started to run out of the bridge to head for the hangar bay when they were interrupted by Zuko shouting, "Wait!" Aerrow's team turned around to watch as the Fire Lord said, "We'll come with you."

"Aang's all alone out there," said Katara. "We have to go help him."

"Okay," said Aerrow. "We'll take our Skimmers while the rest of you run out to join with Aang."

The group all ran out, but Zuko stopped midway to face Mai. "Mai, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Wherever you go is wherever I go," replied Mai. She followed up by planting a kiss on Zuko's mouth.

Zuko knew his girlfriend wasn't going to sit and do nothing while he went out to risk his life. "All right," he said, "but be careful."

With that said, they both joined their friends in the hangar bay. The Storm Hawks were now clad in their armour as they all got on their Skimmers while the big door opened. The vehicles all sped out and jumped off the runway before converting to flight mode. The others ran out to be with Aang, and the boy Avatar spotted them as he flew in with Appa. Everyone hoped onto the saddle tied to Appa's back at the end of the runway, and they all flew off into battle.

Lugey was the first to notice Appa flying towards him and the other Raptors. "Duh... what's that big, fuzzy thing, boss?" he said.

"Who cares?" replied Repton. "If those kids are with the Storm Hawks, then they'll perish along with them."

"I'll bet that beast will taste good if we roast it," Hoerk said while licking his lips.

The Raptors then flew in after the Storm Hawks. Aang got Appa to join up with them while Repton was flying next to the sky bison. With a snarl, he brought out his boomerang to the group.

Sokka merely scoffed at the sight and said, "So you've got a boomerang? Me, too." The boy then brought out his own boomerang to show it to the Raptor.

Repton then ignited his own boomerang, making Sokka open his eyes in shock.

"Can your boomerang do that?" Mai said sarcastically.

"Everyone, split up!" said Aerrow.

The Storm Hawks and the Avatar's group all flew in different directions while the Raptors gave chase. Soon, Spitz, Hoerk and Lugey were all going after the Storm Hawks while everyone riding Appa was underneath them. Aang took this opportunity to stand up and shoot flames from his fists, hoping to hit the Raptors. He was joined in by Zuko who did the same. Katara brought water from the ocean underneath Appa to shoot straight into the air, Sokka fired his boomerang and Mai started throwing stilettos. Repton's lackeys all made desperate moves to avoid the attacks while Aerrow and his team were getting ready to retaliate.

Repton flew down to see the Avatar's group was too busy attacking to notice him. The Raptor leader held his boomerang as he leapt in the air surrounded by a yellow aura. Twisting, he grunted as he threw out his boomerang to perform his special move. The boomerang soared through the air and ended up frightening Appa. The sky bison leaned back as he growled, causing everyone on his saddle to be pushed back. The Avatar's group all held on desperately but only Mai managed to grab onto the saddle while Momo flew back. The others were thrown back and began to fall into the ocean, but Aang held out his staff and formed it into his glider to stay aloft.

"No!" shouted the Avatar, watching his friends plummeting.

Piper looked down to see everyone falling and shouted in worry, "Look!"

The other Storm Hawks saw their new friends all scream as they continued to fall. "Storm Hawks, dive!" shouted Aerrow.

Aerrow and his team soon dived in after their friends while the Raptors all looked on and laughed sinisterly. The Sky Knight was coming up next to Zuko and jumped from his ride, making Radarr take the controls. Aerrow grabbed Zuko's hand just as Radarr levelled off the Skimmer, and both boys landed on the wings.

Piper flew down close to Katara and extended her hand. The waterbender took hold just before the navigator nearly crashed into the ocean. Piper grunted as she pulled Katara up to sit behind her on her Heliscooter.

Junko saw Toph was right beside him as she screamed, but then the Wallop grabbed onto her and pulled her into his Skimmer.

Finn dove after Sokka, but ended up diving too far so when he levelled off; Sokka landed his crotch onto the front of the Skimmer. The marksman cringed as he pulled Sokka behind him.

"I feel your pain, bro," said Finn. Sokka said nothing while rubbing his sore spot.

The Raptors all saw the Storm Hawks save their friends and were left with angered expressions.

"Now what do we do?" said Spitz.

"What do ya think?" said Hoerk. "We keep fighting until they're done for."

"Exactly," said Repton. "Follow me."

Repton flew down and his brothers came after him. The Storm Hawks all looked up to see their battle with the Raptors wasn't over yet.

"Okay, guys," said Aerrow. "Let's finish this!"

The Storm Hawks flew their rides into the Raptors with their friends as passengers. Aerrow was the first to strike. Letting Radarr take the controls again, he and Zuko stood on the wings. The Sky Knight fired pulses from his daggers while the Fire Lord shot flames from his fists. Lugey ended up taking one of Zuko's hits when he noticed his tail was on fire. Thinking quickly, he yelled and stuck his tail in his mouth. The Raptor let out a sigh when the flame was finally gone, leaving the tip of his tail blackened.

Hoerk and Spitz both brought out their blasters to fire at Piper and Junko, but Sokka turned to see what was happening. "Up there!" he shouted.

Finn turned his ride around and brought out his retractable crossbow. The sharpshooter then saw through his targeting lenses that the two Raptors already fired shots, but he sent out four bolts to intercept each pulse. The bolts hit their marks, and caused small explosions. Finn and Sokka then did a high five to congratulate each other.

While Spitz and Hoerk saw their attacks had failed, Piper and Junko flew in close to them. Katara now had a swirling vortex of water formed between her hands and fired it at Hoerk, causing him to scream as he was pushed away on his Bone Wing by the water's force.

Spitz watched as his brother got attacked while Junko flew in behind him. He got close enough for Toph to stand up and punch the side of Spitz's Bone Wing. The blind girl used her earthbending to make the ride spin out of control and making Spitz scream. When the Bone Wing stopped spinning, Spitz held out his forked tongue as his eyes rolled around in their sockets.

Repton saw his brothers were doing poorly against the Storm Hawks and their new companions. He soon laughed when he pulled out a yellow crystal from his vest. The Raptor leader clutched it in his three-fingered claw while flying over to the Storm Hawks. As soon as he got close enough, he threw the crystal in the Storm Hawks' vicinity and it exploded in a bright flash.

Everyone was now temporary blinded by the light and they all screamed in agony while covering their eyes. Toph was the only one immune to the flash, but there was nothing she could do while Junko couldn't see.

The Raptors all laughed to see their victims were now helpless.

"Now it's time to tear them apart!" said Repton.

Aang had flown back onto Appa where Mai and Momo were still sitting. He looked up to see all his friends were now blinded from a flash of light, and the Raptors were now advancing on them. Sadness was now welling up inside the Avatar as he saw the girl he cared deeply about was now going to be struck down. The sadness soon turned to rage as Aang's eyes and the arrows on his skin began to glow. Mai watched what was happening and inched away from him. Aang was now rising as air currents were lifting him while his eyes and tattooed arrows continued to glow. He held out his hands and manipulated air until two tornadoes had been formed.

The Raptors all stopped as they felt the air around them begin to pick up speed. They turned around to the source and all froze to see a boy coming toward them with tornadoes forming in his hands.

"Oh no," Repton said with fear in his voice.

Aang unleashed the tornadoes on the Raptors, causing them all to scream as they held onto their Bone Wings for life. They continued to twist in the raging winds as Aang commanded them using his enhanced airbending.

By that time, everyone had now regained their sight. They all looked to see Aang taking on the Raptors by himself, but were more shocked to see the boy using such power against them.

Aang had now made the tornadoes stop just as his eyes and arrows stopped glowing. Appa flew in to grab him on his head before he could use his glider.

The Raptors had finally gained control of their rides and they were now far away from the Storm Hawks. Seeing they couldn't win against that kind of power, Repton turned his ride around while his face showed a horrified expression.

"Retreat!" he shouted.

The Raptors complied with their leader as they all fled the skies.

"I feel dizzy, boss," said Lugey as he and the others got away.

"Oh, shut up!" shouted Repton.

The Storm Hawks landed their Skimmers down on the _Condor's_ runway and Aang also came down on Appa. As soon as Aang got down, Katara got off Piper's Heliscooter and ran over to him. The two embraced in a hug and both had tears rolling down their cheeks while the others looked on with concern. They had won the battle, but Aerrow was now worried about how Aang felt.

* * *

BlueTiger321: And that brings this chapter to an end.

Katara: I hope Aang's going to be okay.

BlueTiger321: He'll be fine, Katara. You'll be right there to comfort him.

Lugey: Duh... what is this place?

Katara: How did you get in here?! *fires a stream of water at him*

Lugey: Owie, owie, owie!

BlueTiger321: Nice one, Katara. Anyway folks, be sure to stay in touch for the next chapter. Until next time...

Katara: Read and review!


	7. Chapter 7: Forewarning

Chapter 7: Forewarning

BlueTiger321: All right, folks. It's time for the next chapter to be underway. The Storm Hawks and the Gaang are getting close to their destination. Read on and see how it goes.

The _Condor_ continued to fly through the skies towards the Earth Kingdom while everyone remained out on the runway. The previous battle with the Raptors had been victorious, but Aerrow saw it was very despondent on Aang for having used that kind of power. He could see the boy sobbing while he embraced Katara and was thankful it didn't result in something more devastating.

Aang and Katara finally broke apart while wiping away their tears. Out of concern, Aerrow asked, "Aang, are you all right?"

The Avatar nodded his head, saying, "I'm fine. I'm just glad you're all safe."

Sokka, Toph and Zuko got off the Skimmers while Mai jumped down from Appa, walking over to Aang. A smile formed on his face as he saw he was surrounded by the people who cared about him. The group then formed a hug around each other as a sign of their friendship.

Aerrow was happy to see Aang was being comforted, but he was also curious to know about the boy's power. "What happened back there, Aang?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Junko. "You were all... glowy and stuff."

The Avatar's group broke apart to face the Storm Hawks. Katara stepped forth and said, "Aang was in the Avatar State."

"Avatar State?" Piper said confusingly.

"It's when I gain all the abilities and knowledge from my past reincarnations," replied Aang. "Sometimes, it's triggered when I'm in a deep emotional state or when I open all my Chakras. I saw Katara was in trouble and that's what made me use it."

"Well we would've been sitting ducks if it wasn't for you, Aang" said Aerrow. "Thank you."

"That was way too cool, dude!" said Finn. "I mean, you took care of the Raptors like they were nothing. If you use it against the Cyclonians then we'll give 'em a royal butt-whooping!"

"No," said Aang. "I can't be in the Avatar State all the time."

"Why's that?" asked Junko.

The boy Avatar looked down at his feet and replied, "I may be at my strongest, but there's also a downside. If I end up getting killed while I'm in the Avatar State, then the regeneration cycle will be destroyed... and the Avatar will no longer exist."

"Yeah, but think of how we could stop the Cyclonians with your power," said Finn.

Aerrow could see that Aang's lower lip was trembling and his eyebrows arched down as if he was in anger. "That's enough, Finn," said the Sky Knight.

The sharpshooter ignored the order and continued his rant, saying, "Not even Cyclonis could stand up against you and we'd be able to go back to Atmos without her and her lackeys."

Aang looked up at Finn while shouting furiously, "You don't get it! I don't go into the Avatar State if it isn't needed! And I don't want it to justify anyone close to me getting hurt!" The boy turned around and used his glider to get back onto Appa where they both soared away from the _Condor_.

Everyone on the runway looked at Aang flying in front of the ship with concerned expressions. When it was done, Finn looked around to see everyone glaring at him in anger.

"Was it something I said?" wondered Finn.

"Honestly, Finn," said Piper. "How can you be so insensitive?"

"You saw how emotional Aang was being so you should've dropped it!" said Katara.

Toph walked over to the marksman and said, "Just when I thought you couldn't be any more of a lunkhead..." She proceeded by punching Finn in his arm, to which the teen yelped in pain and rubbed the sore spot.

"What did I do?" Finn asked confusedly. "All I said was—"

"Finn," Aerrow interjected, "don't make it worse on yourself."

Aerrow, Piper and Junko drove their Skimmers back into the hangar bay while the others walked off in a huff, leaving Finn by himself on the runway. The blonde sharpshooter looked on with a depressed expression frozen on his face. All his friends were now mad at him for something he didn't fully understand, and he continued to be that way as he rode his Skimmer back into the hangar bay as well.

* * *

The Raptors flew through the skies after their defeat against the Storm Hawks. They had never encountered people using bending arts before so they paid the price for underestimating their adversaries.

Repton was the one who was the most angered over it. He snarled as he led his brothers back the way they came for he knew Master Cyclonis wouldn't tolerate any kind of failure.

Spitz looked out over the skies and saw a familiar object coming towards them, but something else was passing underneath it in the ocean. "Look bossss," he said. "Sssome shipsss are joined withhh the Cccycloniansss."

Repton shook his head in disbelief. He and his brothers weren't around the Cyclonians for a while since Cyclonis forced them to continue finding the dimension stone and to finish off the Storm Hawks for Repton's disobedience earlier. The Raptor leader figured these were probably the armies the Cyclonian ruler was going to attain. Either way, he headed back into the Cyclonian battle cruiser with his brothers.

The Raptors had now docked their Bone Wings in the airship's hangar bay and made their way to the bridge. There they met Master Cyclonis along with Dark Ace, Ravess, Snipe and several Talons at the controls.

"So glad you could re-join us, Repton," said Cyclonis in a monotonous tone. "If you're here then you obviously have something to report."

"I do," replied the Raptor leader. "We met up with the Storm Hawks and some others. We tried to take them down, but then one kid blew us away using some... strange wind powers."

Cyclonis looked at her fingernails as if uninterested in the news. "That would probably be the Avatar," she said.

Repton arched his eyebrow and said, "What in blazes is an Avatar?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. All you need to know is you should defeat him and the Storm Hawks if you should run into them again."

"What?!" Repton shouted in protest. "That boy nearly tore us to shreds and you expect us to fight him again?!"

Cyclonis narrowed her eyes and said, "Don't make me repeat myself, especially after you've defied me once already."

The Raptor leader stepped back and set his face in a snarl, knowing full well what would happen if he were to tell off Cyclonis again. The other Raptors all looked on with worried expressions as they saw their boss was receding.

"Now then," said Cyclonis. "Is there anything else you wish to say?"

"As a matter of fact, there is," replied Repton. "Why are those ships following us?"

"Those ships belong to Azula. I help her take over her kingdom and eventually the world and she will help us find the dimension stone. After that, she can do whatever she wants with this world once it's hers to command."

Ravess stepped up to Master Cyclonis and said, "How are those ships able to match our speed if they're travelling by sea?"

"I had some extra power crystals with me," replied Cyclonis, "so I figured it would help Azula in getting the job done faster." The Cyclonian ruler finished off with a short chuckle.

"At this rate, we'll reach the mainland in much shorter time," said Dark Ace.

"Yeah, but the Storm Hawks still have a head start," said Snipe.

"We'll deal with the Storm Hawks in due time," said Cyclonis. "Right now, let's focus on the task at hand."

Everyone in the bridge gazed out over the skies as the Cyclonian battle cruiser made its way toward the Earth Kingdom. A great battle was about to come, and they knew they would have the advantage in numbers against the Storm Hawks.

Below the airship, the Fire Nation ships made their way over the ocean. The ship taking the lead was the largest and above the deck was where Azula stood while practicing her firebending. Instead of her black armour, she was now clothed in a dark red vest and skirt over her red shirt and pants. Her unique blue flames shot out every time she extended her hands and feet.

The newly acclaimed Fire Lord then struck a pose by holding out her right hand and foot downward to finish her training, sending a wave of blue flames out over the ocean. Azula stood up while the large Fire Nation flag – a red background with a black flame in the centre – flapped against the wind behind her.

A soldier then came out onto the deck to address Azula. The girl didn't turn around but merely shifted her eyes to notice someone approaching her.

"What have you to say?" said Azula in a demanding tone.

"The ships are all moving along with the ship in the sky, Fire Lord," replied the soldier. Inside, the soldier felt like he wanted to vomit for having to call Azula the Fire Lord.

"Good. Those crystals we received from Cyclonis are making us travel faster than usual. How much longer until we reach Ba Sing Se?"

"At this rate, we should be there in about two days."

"Excellent. You are dismissed."

The soldier turned around to walk away from Azula when he was suddenly stopped when she called out to him.

"Wait," she said. The soldier was now face-to-face with Azula, and he could see she smirked at him while her yellow eyes had malicious intent behind them. "I don't think I need to remind you that you serve under me now. My brother may have filled your head with new ideals, but you are now mine to command. And as such, I expect you to follow my orders without hesitation. Do I make myself clear?"

The soldier nodded his head and replied, "Yes, Fire Lord."

"Good..." said Azula.

The solider walked away, making sure to keep his narrowed eyes away from the wicked girl. Having been forced to serve under Azula was hard enough for him already and he didn't need to be reminded of it, especially after what she threatened to do if he didn't obey.

Azula looked out over the sprawling ocean as she thought it would soon be her ocean as well once her great-grandfather's vision – her vision – would become a reality.

* * *

The _Condor_ was now flying over land while the sun was now setting. It had taken a while, but the ship had now reached the Earth Kingdom with the help from Aang leading the way on Appa. Now they were tasked with reaching the capital, Ba Sing Se, in time to warn the Earth King about Azula and the Cyclonians.

In the ship, Finn walked through the hallway while moping. Everyone had gotten angry with him for something he said to Aang. The marksman didn't intend on hurting Aang's feelings when he said all those things. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Aerrow coming towards him.

"Finn, I need you to clean the halls," said the Sky Knight.

"Oh great," Finn said sarcastically. "Is this my punishment for making you all mad at me?"

Aerrow had an odd look on his face when Finn said that. "No," he said. "Are you still going on about what happened? I'm only saying this because it needs to be done and you're the only one who doesn't have anything to do. But if you're still worried about that, then you should apologise to Aang."

"Whatever," said Finn. The blonde sharpshooter walked past Aerrow to get started on his chore.

Finn was now in a different hallway with a mop in his hands. He dunked it into a bucket of soapy water and began to clean the floor. Grunting while he worked, he still couldn't shake the feeling about what he should say to Aang. The only problem was he didn't know for what he was apologising. The teenage boy was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't see someone stand in his way while he mopped. It was only after he accidentally bumped into the figure. Finn then looked up to see Sokka standing there.

"Oh, hey Sokka," said Finn. "You still mad at me?"

"No," replied the Water Tribe boy. "I just came to see how you were doing."

Finn dunked his mop back into the bucket and said, "I'm still a little confused. I mean, I must've said something to really tick off Aang. But the thing is I don't know what's goin' on with him." The marksman then continued to clean the floor.

Sokka looked down while he rubbed his arm. He knew he would have to tell him the truth if things between Aang and Finn were going to be patched up. He brought his head back up and said, "I probably know what made Aang upset."

Finn stopped his work and looked back at Sokka with his face set into curiosity.

"Don't tell him I said this," explained Sokka, "but during our journeys, Aang had confronted many things that impacted him greatly and forced him to go into the Avatar State. Some of them include finding out his fellow monks had all been killed, learning that Appa had been captured, and watching an Earth Kingdom general hurt Katara so he could use Aang's power to fight the Fire Nation.

"I guess when you said all those things; Aang must've recollected those bad memories and it sent him over the edge."

Finn's eyes were now wide open in shock. Now he truly understood why Aang lashed out at him, and he also saw the boy had gone through some difficult situations.

"Whoa," said Finn. "It must've been really hard on him. And when I said we should use his power for fighting, I didn't even consider his feelings." The marksman then slapped his hand to his forehead. "I am such a jerk."

At that moment, the intercom turned on and projected Aerrow's voice. _"Everyone, come to the bridge,"_ he said.

Finn and Sokka heard the request, so the blonde sharpshooter put the mop back into the bucket and both boys ran over to the bridge.

Everyone onboard was now present, including Iroh as he had now recovered from his injury and was now wearing his shirt and robe again.

"We're coming close to what looks like a big city," said Stork.

Everyone looked out the window to see a large stone wall that stretched out over the land. Within it were miles of farmland until it reached another stone wall in the centre. Behind that wall stood a large city. High above the buildings was a rail system where various trams passed by as a means of transportation for the populace. The city itself was divided into three separate rings, and the state of the buildings denoted that each ring was a section for people to live in depending on economic status.

Katara looked out and said, "That's Ba Sing Se."

Aerrow was simply marvelled by the city's size and the number of buildings within the walls. "It's gigantic!" he said.

"I don't think any terra comes close to being that big," said Piper.

"I never thought I'd wind up here again," said Toph.

"Aang will lead us to the palace," said Zuko. "We can plead our case to the Earth King once we see him."

Stork followed Aang down towards the upper ring of Ba Sing Se, which is the place for upper class people and where the palace was located. All along the city the citizens could see the _Condor_ flying through the sky. They all stood up in wonder to see something like it and unsure of what it was or where it was headed.

Aang had now brought Appa down once they reached their destination, and the _Condor_ followed. The sky bison and the Storm Hawks' ship landed on the ground right outside of a large gate. It had a brown exterior adorned with golden coverings on green backgrounds around the walls. The ground had a long path covered by green and golden lines on each side and lamps leading up to the walls. The gate had three entryways; two small ones on the sides and a large on in the centre.

Aang landed safely on the ground and waited for his friends to appear from the ship. The ramp in the middle then extended and everyone onboard exited. The Storm Hawks were now wearing their armour to make themselves look more presentable.

Once everyone was accounted for, they all walked up to the main gate. Two Earth Kingdom soldiers approached them to see who was coming to the palace.

"Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko," said one of the soldiers. "May I ask what the purpose of your visit is?"

"We've come here to deliver an urgent message to the Earth King," replied Aang.

"And who are these people travelling with you?" asked the other soldier.

"These are our companions," replied Zuko.

The soldiers looked over, and were taken back to see Junko, Stork and Radarr. The Wallop merely waved his hand at them while the Merb stared back at them blankly and the furry co-pilot chirped as he jumped onto Aerrow's shoulders.

Seeing no threat in any of them, the first soldier said, "Very well. You may enter."

The group followed the soldiers through the entrance. After going through the gates, they all came upon the outside court, which was a wide space of stone flooring. At the far end of the court stood the main hall situated at the top of a flight of steps. It was a large, red building with many layers of golden rooftops and stone pillars to support them.

As they made their way to the building, Finn thought this was his opportunity to apologise to Aang for his wrongdoing.

"Hey, Aang?" said Finn.

Aang heard the voice and kept on walking while keeping his eyes forward. "What is it?" he said in a flat tone.

The blonde sharpshooter scratched the back of his head, saying, "Listen, about earlier..." Finn was having trouble finding the right words, but he breathed in and gave it his best effort. "I... didn't mean to upset you about what I said. I wasn't thinking about how you felt, and that was wrong. I'm sorry."

Aang then stopped in his tracks when he noticed the sincerity in Finn's words. He turned around to face him, and the others all stopped as well to see what was happening.

"So what do you say?" asked Finn. "Are we still friends?"

The Avatar smiled as he looked up at the Storm Hawks' marksman. He proceeded by giving him a light slap on his arm and said, "Definitely."

Finn gave a smile back to Aang, and the others were glad to see the two of them make up. Once it was done, the group continued walking through the court towards the main hall. They all made their way up the steps and finally reached the entrance.

The Earth Kingdom soldiers guided them all into the Throne Room. It was decorated with stone pillars standing on the sides and green curtains lining the back wall. The floor was covered with brown marble on the sides while green and yellow marble lead up to the throne.

The Storm Hawks stood in awe at the magnificence of this room and felt the same sensation from seeing the Throne Room in the Fire Nation palace.

The soldiers then bowed before the person sitting on the throne, and everyone else followed the example out of respect. There on the throne was a man in his mid-twenties dressed in a green and yellow robe, and brown shoes. His green eyes were complimented with glasses over his nose while his black hair was tied into a braid that hung over his back. On his head was a crown made of green cloth and the Earth Kingdom's symbol fashioned in gold in the centre. His accessories included a small green cloak, a green-beaded necklace and a golden belt buckle shaped like the Earth Kingdom's symbol.

Sitting next to this man was a large, brown bear. It growled before lying down and rested its head on its massive paws.

One of the soldiers then said, "Your Majesty, the Avatar, Fire Lord Zuko and their companions wish to speak with you. They claim they have an urgent message for you."

It was obvious to Aerrow and his team they were now in the presence of the Earth King.

"Very well," said the Earth King in a soft voice. "I will speak with them."

The soldiers bowed before their ruler and left the Throne Room so the others could have their privacy.

Aang stepped forward and said, "Thank you Your Majesty for seeing us on such short notice."

"I am glad to see you all once again," said the Earth King. His attention was now on the Storm Hawks. "Who are these people who have joined you?"

"They are the Storm Hawks. They're people from another world who have accidentally come here along with their enemies."

Zuko took over and said, "Your Majesty, the enemies of the Storm Hawks have helped Azula take over the throne to my kingdom and are now heading here to try and make our world under her rule. We've come here to request for your assistance."

The Earth King pondered the situation. He understood how grave it was, but was also curious to hear the testimony from these new people. His gaze went back over to the Storm Hawks and he asked, "Which one of you is the leader?"

"That would be me, Your Majesty," said Aerrow as he stepped forward.

The Earth King looked at the Sky Knight and saw he looked to be a person of good character. "Tell me," he said. "Are your enemies a considerable threat?"

"Yes. We've dealt with them many times, but we've always managed to stop their ambitions."

"Will you be willing to aid us even though you are not from this world?"

"Of course, Your Majesty. We are partly responsible for coming here, and so we will lend our strength to make sure your world is safe and we'll be able to take our enemies back with us to our world." The Storm Hawks all nodded in response with their leader to show their willingness.

The Earth King paused for a moment, thinking about Aerrow's words. As he was taking in all the information, he could see the serious looks on everyone's faces. He knew they were all trustful people and they wouldn't mislead him about something like this. He then stood up from his throne and everyone waited for him to give his response.

"In light on these new events," said the Earth King, "it is with great prudence that we should stop this catastrophe as quickly as possible; therefore, I give you all my word that you have the Earth Kingdom's full support."

Everyone smiled upon hearing the Earth King's decision. Now they would have their own allies to stave off Azula's army and the Cyclonians.

"I shall pass the order on to my generals to fortify our defences when our enemies have arrived," said the Earth King. "You are all free to remain here in the palace when that time comes."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Zuko. "With our combined forces, we will be able to stop another war from happening."

"Yes," said Aerrow. "All that remains is to find the only way we can get back home."

Back on the _Condor_, a device in Piper's room was emitting a beeping sound while a bright light was flashing randomly. It acted as though something nearby was setting off its function.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Ooooh... I wonder what that last part could mean.

Piper: Don't spoil it! That's supposed to happen in the next chapter.

Finn: What?! I want to know what it is now!

Piper: Well too bad, Finn. It's not gonna happen.

Finn: *groans* Why do you always have to wreck everyone's fun?

BlueTiger321: Well folks, stay tuned for the next chapter where we find out the mystery behind the device's beeping. So, until next time...

Piper and Finn: Read and review!


	8. Chapter 8: The Search

Chapter 8: The Search

BlueTiger321: Hi everyone, and welcome to the next chapter. If I haven't updated in a while, it's probably because I have other important things to do. Two of which include playing Mass Effect 2 and No More Heroes 2 since they're both awesome games. Anyway, I'll let you read this chapter to find out what happens next. Enjoy!

The city of Ba Sing Se was now a metropolis at peace during night time. Some civilians headed straight for home to gain some valuable rest and start a new day while others went to popular places at dark. No matter which person went in which direction, the streets were now barren and bliss.

One such place where people attended at night time was Iroh's tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon. The elderly man was ready to return to his duties after the brutal attack from the Nightcrawler leader. He happily gave each person the tea they requested, though still concerned about what the future would hold for the city.

The palace sat quietly amongst the starry sky where guards made their rounds patrolling the outsides for any suspicious activity.

Inside the guests' quarters was where the Avatar's group and the Storm Hawks were staying. Their plea for help from the Earth King had gotten through and they were now welcome to stay until the time came for battle. Right now, they had each taken a bedroom after saying their good nights to each other. The quarters had more than enough rooms to accommodate for everyone so there wasn't a problem dividing the sleeping grounds.

Piper relaxed as she was given a large bed to herself. She sighed as she fell onto the mattress and let the blankets give their warmth to her body. The only time she had ever felt this pampered was when she pretended to be a princess on Terra Klockstoppia back on Atmos. The navigator rested her head on the pillows and was about to go to sleep when she kept tossing around under the sheets. Piper sat up and fiddled around her pockets until she picked up the obstruction. An orange crystal rested in her hands. The girl realised she still had it against the battle with the Raptors and knew it had to go back to her room on the _Condor_.

Piper quietly exited her room, making sure she wasn't waking up anyone. She then walked out of the guests' quarters to head for the outside of the gate. The girl walked slowly and was startled when she heard a loud noise. She turned around to find Appa snoring as he slept soundly on the ground. Piper merely smiled and chuckled to herself to see the sky bison sleeping the way he did.

The girl went back to her task as she walked down to the gate. The soldiers on guard let her pass so she could get back to bed as soon as possible.

Piper headed up the _Condor's_ ramp when she got close to it and immediately headed for her room. The navigator had found the crate where the crystal should be placed. In that crate, some more orange crystals were contained and a small ping sound was heard when Piper placed the crystal in her hand back with the others before closing the crate.

The girl smiled as she could now get back to bed without further delay. She walked out of her room when something else caught her attention. Piper turned around to see a small device on her desk making some noises. It was a long metal piece with a greyish handle, a triangular lens sticking out with a gauge at the top and a small metal sheet attached to the other side. A small flash was emitting from the lens and it was also giving off a beeping noise.

_That's strange_, she thought.

Piper picked up the device and held it close to her eyes. Upon looking at the lens, her eyes narrowed so she could make sense of the reading. Her face then showed a surprised look as she knew what it meant. The navigator then ran out of the _Condor_ with the device in her hand and headed back into the palace.

Piper re-entered the guests' quarters and stopped to catch her breath from running the entire way. As soon as she had enough air in her lungs, she cried out, "Everyone, wake up!"

The cry was loud enough that everyone in their rooms was startled awake. They all opened the doors to see what caused the noise and saw Piper standing in the hallway.

"What's wrong, Piper?" said Aerrow, taking first notice.

Stork shook his head while arching his eyebrows down and said, "There had better be a good reason for waking us up!"

"There is," said Piper. She held up her hand to show the device she carried with her.

Toph narrowed her own eyes, feeling annoyed for Piper not remembering she was blind. "It sounds like you've got something important," she said, "but as you can tell, I can't see what it is."

Aang saw what she was holding and didn't know what to make of it. Scratching the back of his head, he asked, "Uh... what is that?"

"It's my crystal scope," replied the navigator. "On Atmos, this is what I use to find crystals and to see what each one is."

Finn still didn't quite understand Piper's alarm so he said, "And you're showing us this because...?"

Piper narrowed her eyes and gave a pouting face to Finn. She was about to explain that part when the sharpshooter interrupted her.

"I was on the _Condor _when I noticed it was going off," said Piper. "I looked at the reading and saw it was detecting a crystal energy I've never seen before. And that can only mean one thing..."

Aerrow was the first to catch on to what Piper was saying. His eyes opened full of hope as he said, "The dimension stone!"

Piper nodded in response to Aerrow's reaction and said, "It's somewhere around here, and now could be our only chance to find it before the Cyclonians do."

"So, what are we waiting for?" said Junko. "Let's go out and get it!"

The Storm Hawks all headed for the exit, but they stopped when they heard Aang say, "We'll go with you."

The Sky Knight turned to face the Avatar and saw the boy had the same enthusiasm as the rest of his squadron. Aang's friends, except for Mai, also smiled at the Storm Hawks. Aerrow knew they wanted to help but he also didn't want to put them through any more trouble after everything that has occurred.

"You don't have to do this, guys," said Aerrow in a solemn voice.

"We already promised we'd help you get back home, and we're going to see through to it 'til the end," said Aang.

"Besides," said Katara, "if we all take part in the search, we can find the stone faster."

"Like it or not, we're comin' with you guys and that's that," said Sokka.

Aerrow heard their reasons and sighed. He knew they were all correct and there wasn't anything he could say to get them to change their minds. "All right," he said. "We're all in this together, so we might as well make the best of it."

Mai waved her hand and said, "Count me out of it. I'm not too keen on scavenger hunts."

Stork suddenly got the same idea and said, "I think I'll stay as well to... you know, keep her company?"

Aerrow wouldn't have it. With a nod, Junko picked up Stork by his clothes and the Merb tried to squirm free from the Wallop's grip but to no avail. Stork was now being forced to exit the guests' quarters along with his fellow teammates and the Avatar's group minus Zuko's girlfriend.

Once everyone was outside, Toph asked, "So which way do we need to go?"

Piper looked at her crystal scope to read the direction of the source. "We need to head southwest from here..." she said.

"Let's take our Skimmers," said Aerrow. "It'll allow us to be more discreet should we run into any opposition."

"Good idea," said Aang. "And it'll let Appa rest."

The group walked out of the palace once the plan was finalised. Upon reaching the _Condor_, they all headed into the hangar bay. The Storm Hawks suited themselves up with their armour and weapons before riding to be prepared for the worst. Zuko had once again rode with Aerrow and Radarr, Katara rode with Piper, Sokka and Momo rode with Finn, Toph rode with Junko, and Stork was by himself on the Stork-mobile. Aang rose into the sky using his glider combined with airbending, and soon all the others joined him once their rides had converted to flight mode.

Piper got up front with the crystal scope in her hand. She pointed southwest and said, "It's this way."

Everyone then rode off into the night to find the dimension stone.

* * *

The search had taken the group outside of the city. Piper paid careful attention to the crystal scope so she wouldn't accidentally lead everyone in the wrong direction. The light on the scope still blinked along with the beeping sound at the same speed when all of a sudden, both the light and sound started going faster.

Piper gasped and her eyes widened upon the sudden change in the device. She turned her head towards the others and said, "We're getting closer."

Aerrow looked down and saw a huge forest covering the ground, and he could also hear the sound of rushing water, which meant there must be a huge source somewhere around the trees.

"Let's look down there," said the Sky Knight while pointing to the forest.

Everyone followed Aerrow's suggestion, and so they all descended to the ground. The Storm Hawks all converted their rides back to vehicle mode before landing and Aang made his glider convert back to his staff.

Stork brought his ride forward once it was back to normal, and he accidentally drove the front into a small boulder. The Stork-mobile then deployed its airbags upon hitting the rock, causing the Merb to yelp in surprise when his whole body was covered in them. All the others watched in bewilderment to see this happening to Stork, and the latter wrestled free from the airbags and laughed out of embarrassment before exiting his vehicle.

The group looked out amongst the forest. It was a pleasant scene with the canopy of trees giving a new perspective to the starry sky. The silver light from the moon also shone through the leaves, adding a glimmer of hope to the black scenery.

Piper held up her crystal scope and saw the beeping and flashing was now becoming more constant since they were in the air. "It's gotta be somewhere around here," she said.

"Let's split up," said Zuko. "We'll cover more ground that way."

"Good thinking, Zuko," said Aerrow. "Remember: the dimension stone is round and green. If anyone finds it, shout it out so we'll hear you and head for your location."

In a nearby bush, a figure peeped out upon watching the group enter the forest. No one could see whoever it was in the darkness. A pair of green eyes narrowed upon recognising the Avatar and his group. The others were unfamiliar, but they appeared to be allies of the Avatar. This figure then took off stealthily from the bush when Aerrow gave the description about the dimension stone, leaving everyone else none the wiser.

Everyone in the group had now broken off to search for the dimension stone. The moonlight made it easier for them to see, but it still wasn't enough to navigate their way through the darkness. Aang and Zuko had used their firebending to create small flames in their palms to give them brighter light. They were careful not to let the flames get too big to prevent a forest fire.

Radarr looked through a bush and chirped in wonder as he saw an elephant rat sleeping inside it. The creature awoke from its slumber and narrowed its eyes at Radarr as if it was about to attack. The furry co-pilot screeched in fright as he leapt away from the bush and grabbed onto Stork's back. The Merb also screamed as Radarr grabbed onto him tightly and accidentally lost his footing, making him fall backwards. Stork got up and brushed himself off while Radarr sat up and saw birds fly around his head after he was crushed by Stork's body.

The others hadn't taken notice of Radarr's folly as they were still focused on searching. Suddenly, Piper's crystal scope was now flashing faster and the beeping was becoming more constant. Looking carefully, she found out from where it was coming.

"Guys!" she shouted. "It's over here!"

The others all heard the cry and ran over to Piper's location. Once they were back together, they all headed off to where Piper pointed. Everyone had a great sense of joy fill up inside them as they knew they were getting closer to accomplishing their goal.

Everyone had now come out into a clearing where barren earth lay with patches of grass and a few boulders were scattered around the area. Piper looked down at her scope and saw the needle on the gauge was all the way over to the right, indicating they had found their destination. The girl was somewhat confused as she didn't see anything in this forest.

"This doesn't make any sense," said Piper. "My scope says the dimension stone is right here, but I don't see it."

"Well, do ya think that thingy might be on the fritz or something?" asked Finn.

Piper merely scoffed at Finn's question. She knew her scope was working perfectly and there had to be a logical explanation for this.

At that moment, a figure walked out from the bushes. Everyone heard it and immediately stood in defence by drawing their weapons or getting ready in bending positions. The figure stepped into the light to reveal himself. It was a middle-aged man dressed in pale green clothing. His long, black hair fell loosely behind his head while the front was balding. His face showed anger that went with his narrowing green eyes and his thin moustache and beard.

Aang's face showed surprise for seeing this man. It soon turned to anger as he stepped forward with his staff extended. "Long Feng!" he said.

Katara, Sokka, Toph and Zuko all shared Aang's anger when they got close to the boy.

Finn took his head away from his crossbow and asked, "You guys know this bozo?"

"This man used to be the Earth King's advisor," said Katara, "but he kept the war a secret from Ba Sing Se and made it into his own city of authority."

Long Feng nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, and everything was going perfectly until you meddling brats came along. Because of you, I lost my position of power _and_ my Dai Li Agents! Now I've been reduced to the life of a commoner!"

"Sorry 'bout that," Sokka said sarcastically, "but we were only trying to prevent our world from being taken over. I'm sure you understand."

"What are you doing here?" Zuko demanded.

"I just happened to notice all of you coming here and overheard you were looking for something," replied Long Feng. The man then reached behind his back and held out a round, green crystal sitting in his palm. "Would this be what you're looking for?"

Aerrow opened his eyes in shock and said, "He's got the dimension stone!" The Sky Knight was both relieved to see they'd found it and worried to learn someone had taken it.

Long Feng chuckled in response and said, "Well whatever this is, it must be important to you if you're searching for it. But it's too bad that I've found it first. So if you want it, come and get it." The man lifted his free hand to bring up a large stone chunk using his earthbending and hurled it towards the group.

Junko was the first to act and using his Knuckle Busters; he grunted as he caught the stone chunk before it hit anyone. The Wallop then gritted his teeth as Long Feng pushed harder on the stone, causing Junko to slide back on his hooved feet. Junko let out another loud grunt as he sent the stone flying behind him and it landed on the ground without hitting anyone or anything.

Long Feng didn't expect that to happen so he took off in the confusion. Aerrow saw the man escaping so he shot out his daggers and tried to hit him with blue pulses but missed.

"We can't let him get away!" said the Sky Knight.

The others agreed with Aerrow as they all ran after him. Long Feng looked behind him to see the group chasing after him, and he sneered as he turned around and got into an earthbending stance. The vile man had now brought his hands up to make a wall of earth block off everyone from going any farther, allowing him time to run away. Aang ran ahead of everyone and yelled as he jumped forward while slamming his fist into the wall. The boy Avatar had created a large hole in the raised earth when he smashed his fist into it and gave the others passage to follow.

Long Feng grunted as he saw his efforts becoming fruitless. In a desperate move, he raised earth at an angle to impede the group following him, but Toph sensed it coming so she raised earth straight upward to intercept Long Feng's attack, causing both stone formations to collide with each other.

The attack may have failed but it allowed Long Feng enough time to escape into the forest, making everyone in the group stop in their tracks and wonder which way he went.

"Now how are we supposed to find him?" said Stork.

"He can't have gone far," said Aerrow. "Everyone split up. Hopefully, we'll be able to surround him."

All the others did as Aerrow said, and so they all took off in separate paths in the forest. They weren't going to let this man get away with something important to them so they had to hurry.

Piper went down her chosen direction, but then paused when she heard a beeping sound. Taking out her crystal scope, she could see it was going off again but her eyes opened in wonder when she saw it was now detecting a different type of crystal energy. She turned to a bush beside her since that was where she saw the energy was emanating from, and what she saw made her gasp in amazement.

Meanwhile, Long Feng continued to run down the dark forest. He looked back to see no one behind him so he smiled and kept on running. Eventually, he came out in another clearing, but this one had a river going through the plain with a large waterfall over a rocky cliff as its starting point. Sensing there was no threat, Long Feng took out the dimension stone from the back of his clothes and he stared into it intently as he figured out what he was going to do with it.

His thoughts were interrupted when he jumped in surprise at a small explosion near his feet and caused him to throw the stone into the air. The man turned to see the source and frowned when he saw Finn standing there with his crossbow.

"Chicka-cha!" said the marksman while pointing with a trigger finger.

The dimension stone was now coming back down to the ground, and Junko came out from the bushes running. "I got it! I got it!" he said.

Long Feng saw what the Wallop was doing so he slid his foot forward to make a pile of earth move up to intercept the falling stone, sending it away from Junko and towards Long Feng.

Junko turned to Long Feng while giving a pouting face and said, "Hey, no fair!"

Finn tried to fire another bolt, but Long Feng ended up throwing a slab of earth into the sharpshooter's stomach, knocking the air out of him as he was thrown to the ground. Long Feng ran forward to try and grab the stone. It was almost within his grasp when suddenly; a long strand of water grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him backward, making him yell in surprise. The vile man's face showed a look of anger as Katara was using the water from the river against him. Long Feng acted quickly by shooting out his palm to raise the earth under Katara, and caused her to fly back a few feet screaming.

Katara was caught by Aang using his glider before she could get seriously hurt. Both the girl and the boy smiled as they were glad no harm was done.

Long Feng wasted no time in grabbing the dimension stone once again. He turned around to run off once more but stopped as Stork stood in his way. The Merb's eyes were now shielded by black-tinted goggles as he held out a camera with a light.

"Smile!" said Stork.

The camera was activated and released a bright light, temporarily blinding Long Feng. The vile man staggered back as he shut his eyes with his free arm. This allowed Sokka to sneak up behind him and take away the dimension stone. Long Feng, however, quickly recovered and narrowed his eyes at Sokka. He then brought up a stone wall in front of the boy, causing him to halt while screaming as he almost crashed into it. Sokka turned to see Long Feng coming at him with rage in his eyes.

"I'm warning you!" said Sokka while unsheathing his sword. "I can take you down in one–"

Sokka was interrupted when Long Feng stomped his foot to make a small tremor, causing the boy to fumble and drop the stone. The dimension stone rolled away from Sokka and Long Feng followed after it. He stopped when Zuko got in front of him while holding out his fists. The man shifted his eyes behind him to see Toph in a wide stance.

Zuko started by shooting a flame from each of his fists, but Long Feng ducked under them and countered by bringing up two mid-sized boulders. The two boulders were thrown at Zuko, but the Fire Lord jumped out of the way before they hit him. Toph joined the fight by causing earth to shoot up at angles to hit Long Feng, but the man simply dodged each attack. Zuko tried to get in more hits with his flames but to no avail as Long Feng continued his strategy of dodging attacks.

Radarr and Momo were now coming in for a sneak attack like they did against Snipe, but it failed as Long Feng saw them coming and grabbed the two animals, throwing them to his sides. Momo landed on Toph's shoulder and Radarr was thrown into Zuko's arms. This gave Long Feng the opportunity to attack them both with by bringing up two stone walls and making them slide on the ground. Both Toph and Zuko ducked out of the way to avoid the assaults. The walls nearly hit them and they grunted as they fell to the ground hard.

Long Feng was now standing in front of the dimension stone with no one around him. This was now his chance to finally do something malicious to the people he hated the most. With a sneer on his lips, he brought up a large boulder sitting next to him and raised it high over the dimension stone.

"Now... it's my turn to ruin their hopes and dreams!" said the vile man while laughing.

Aerrow had now come into the battleground and witnessed Long Feng with a boulder over the dimension stone. The Sky Knight gasped in fear upon this sight, but then his eyes showed a serious look as he knew what he was going to do. Aerrow ran as fast as he could to Long Feng who was still holding the boulder above the ground. A blue aura was now surrounding the Sky Knight's body as he spun in the air. Aerrow had fired off his Lightning Claw and aimed it at the boulder. Long Feng turned his head around to notice blue light, and simply gasped when he knew he couldn't counter the attack in time. The large blue pulse shattered the boulder to pieces, and the force from the attack knocked away Long Feng.

Aerrow landed and sheathed his blades as he saw the dimension stone was still intact. But then his heart skipped a beat when he noticed one part of the boulder was up in the air and coming straight down over the dimension stone. The Sky Knight acted quickly and ran forward as the rock in the air continued to plummet. Aerrow dived when he got close enough and grabbed the dimension stone before the rock crashed into the ground. He got up and smiled when he saw the stone was now in his possession and his friends gathered around him.

Long Feng stood up after being assaulted while the others were distracted. Upon seeing the stone was with the opposing group and knowing he was outnumbered, he had no choice but to retreat.

"Long Feng is getting away!" shouted Katara.

The group started to chase after him but stopped when they saw what looked to be a glowing, red hand appear out of nowhere to go after the escaping man. Long Feng kept on running unaware the hand was reaching out to grab him. The man grunted as he was lifted into the air and brought back over to the battleground. Everyone looked on to see Piper holding up a red, egg-shaped crystal in her hand, which was from where the glowing hand was coming.

(A/N: Think of the same crystal Cyclonis uses in the show.)

"Piper?" Aerrow said in a puzzled tone. "Where did you get that crystal?"

"I found it in some bushes," replied the navigator.

Aerrow was now more puzzled by Piper's response. He didn't understand how another crystal from Atmos, other than the dimension stone, was found in this world.

"But how did...?" said Aerrow. He then brushed away his own question, saying, "Nevermind. What's important right now is that we've got the dimension stone and the stooge who made us go through that ordeal." Long Feng grunted in anger upon hearing the insult from the Sky Knight.

"Now can we go back to the palace?" said Finn. "I've still got some shut eye to catch."

No one argued with Finn's request since they were all tired from lack of sleep and from chasing Long Feng. The group walked back over to their Skimmers with their captive in tow. What none of them realised was that another figure watched through the bushes with its glowing, red eyes. The figure laughed to itself as it saw the Storm Hawks walk away with the dimension stone, but then ran off swiftly as an idea formed in its head.

* * *

The group was now flying back to Ba Sing Se aboard their rides. Everyone in the Avatar's group was riding with the person they came in with, and Long Feng hung over the side of Piper's Heliscooter while he was still trapped in the glowing hand. They all smiled after their hard work in acquiring the dimension stone. Now they were one step closer to completing their goal.

Ba Sing Se was now in view, and so everyone accelerated their rides over to the upper ring. The group touched down in front of the palace gates where three Earth Kingdom soldiers stood to watch. They saw the group come in and had stunned looks on their faces when they saw who was with them.

"You've captured Long Feng?" said one of the soldiers.

"We sure did," replied Aang.

"...And it wasn't easy, either," added Zuko. "Make sure he's taken into custody."

Piper dissipated the energy from the crystal and dropped Long Feng onto the ground. The soldiers acted immediately by running up to the man and placing shackles on his wrists. The vile man tried to resist but it was no use as the soldiers brought him into the palace to take him to the dungeon where he would await further punishment for his crimes.

The Storm Hawks and the Avatar's group all breathed a sigh of relief after what they've experienced, but it was all worth the effort after finally obtaining the dimension stone. Aerrow took it out for everyone to see.

"It's hard to believe something like this brought you all here," said Katara.

"I know," replied Aerrow, "but now that we've got it, we can finally put an end to this senseless fighting and take the Cyclonians back with us to Atmos."

No sooner did Aerrow say that when a small purple crystal fell amongst the group. No one had time to react as the crystal exploded, releasing a cloud of smoke. Everyone coughed as the smoke filled their lungs while it clouded their vision. Amongst the confusion, several figures got behind Katara and grabbed her, making her scream in fright.

"Katara!" Aang shouted, recognising the voice.

The boy Avatar acted on instinct by swaying his hands to blow away the smoke with his airbending. Everyone looked to see Katara was now taken captive by the Nightcrawlers. She tried to break free, but then one of them came forward with a hypnosis crystal in hand. The crystal was dark green with a light green spiral in the centre, and it glowed in front of Katara's eyes to knock her unconscious. The Storm Hawks drew their weapons to combat the attackers, but then the Nightcrawler leader jumped out in front of them and pointed his arm mounted crossbow at Katara. Aerrow and the others were forced to lower their weapons to prevent Katara from getting hurt.

Aang's face showed anger as he clenched his teeth and said, "Let her go!"

"Not yet, boy," said the Nightcrawler leader. His gaze turned over to Aerrow as he said, "You, Sky Knight, shall come outside the city at dawn to make a trade: the girl for the dimension stone. If you ever want to see her again, be there... alone!"

The Nightcrawlers leapt away from the group with Katara as their hostage. The group could do nothing but watch with rage filling inside them as the Nightcrawlers mounted their rides and took off into the sky with the unconscious girl. Sokka then shed tears from his eyes for having lost his sister and Aang did the same as he lost the one person he truly cared about in an instant. Aerrow narrowed his eyes as he was faced with a difficult situation and he would now have to think of a way out of it without putting anyone in danger.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Oh no, Katara's been taken as the Cyclonians' hostage! What will Aerrow do?

Aang: *looking angry* How could you do this to me, author?! *eyes and arrows start to glow*

BlueTiger321: O_O Uh... wait a minute, Aang! I promise you things will start looking up in the next chapter!

Aang: *goes back to normal* They had better be, or else...!

BlueTiger321: *gulp* So anyway, now things are getting interesting. Stay tuned for the next chapter. Until next time, folks...

Aang: Read and review!


	9. Chapter 9: The Exchange

Chapter 9: The Exchange

BlueTiger321: Hello everyone, and welcome to the next chapter. Before it starts, I'd like to thank everyone who has commented on my story for their support. A big thanks also goes out to 21 for giving me the determination to continue writing. With that said, I now give you the next chapter.

The night sky over Ba Sing Se now had the sounds of the Nightcrawlers' rides echoing throughout the atmosphere. The air rippling through the bat-like wings was coupled with the sounds of the gyros keeping them aloft. The Nightcrawler leader stood ahead and laughed to himself in a sinister manner after what he had just accomplished with his team.

Riding with another Nightcrawler was Katara resting unconscious after being knocked out by a hypnosis crystal. She was now going to be used for the Cyclonians' evil intentions to get the dimension stone from the Storm Hawks.

The Nightcrawlers had now made their way back down to the ground over a small forest and converted their rides back to vehicle mode. The rides all came to a halt before each Nightcrawler stood up, taking their hostage with them. One of the Nightcrawlers rested Katara in front of a tree, and the Nightcrawler leader walked up to her with two pairs of shackles in his claws. Katara had her hands placed behind her back, and the restraints were then placed over her wrists and ankles. The Nightcrawler leader knew the effects of the hypnosis crystal would wear off and Katara would try to escape.

The Nightcrawler leader brought himself back up and placed one of his hands over the side of his head. Just then, a small beeping noise was heard. He said, "Master Cyclonis, my troops and I have just captured one of the allies of the Storm Hawks."

On the other end of the frequency, Master Cyclonis responded, _"Excellent! Did you find out if they had it?"_

"Yes, Master," replied the Nightcrawler leader. "The Storm Hawks have found the dimension stone and so we ambushed them to capture one of their allies. We've set up a deal with them so they'll give us the stone, and we'll hand over the girl."

Cyclonis laughed on her end before saying, _"Well played!"_

Back on the Cyclonian airship, Cyclonis was speaking to the Nightcrawlers over an intercom while her commanders, the Raptors and Azula were present.

The Cyclonian ruler continued her conversation, saying, "It's too bad for the Storm Hawks that they won't get the bargain they expect. Keep me informed of any new occurrences."

_"Yes, Master,"_ said the Nightcrawler leader. The communication ended as a beeping sound shut off the intercom.

Cyclonis turned over to her commanders and said, "I knew sending out the Nightcrawlers ahead was a good idea. If we can't find the dimension stone, then we'll let the Storm Hawks find it first and snatch it from right under them."

"A clever plan indeed, Master," said Dark Ace. "Now we'll finally have the advantage over the Storm Hawks."

"What will we do now that we have one of their friends?" Ravess wondered.

"I want you all to go on ahead to the Nightcrawlers' location to wait for the Storm Hawks to make the deal," answered Cyclonis. "Take the dimension stone and when they least suspect it, annihilate them!"

The Talon commanders and the Raptors all laughed sinisterly as they now had the opportunity to take down the Storm Hawks. Their sense of enjoyment was heightened when they knew the Sky Knight squadron could do nothing to hinder their efforts without fear of one of their allies in jeopardy.

Azula overheard the conversation and started to take interest about what was happening. The self-acclaimed Fire Lord couldn't help but take notice that the Cyclonians were now getting the one thing they desired to get out of this world.

"If you don't mind," said Azula, "I would also like to take part in this..."

Cyclonis gave an odd look to Azula. The Talon commanders and the Raptors all stopped laughing when they heard what she said. They were confused as to why Azula had suddenly taken interest in this plan.

"May I ask why you want to go?" asked Cyclonis. "This really doesn't have anything to do with you."

Thinking up a reason, Azula kept her smile and said, "If I know my brother, he would try to interfere with this exchange with the Avatar and his other friends. As you probably know, I have the most experience in fighting them so it would be a bad idea not to let me go.

"Besides, aren't I still indebted to you for releasing me and taking back the Fire Nation? I figure this is one way to repay you. After all, you said it yourself: I am to aid you in any way possible."

Cyclonis took in the girl's words with careful consideration. She knew Azula was right in every aspect. Using her in the attacking party would increase the chances of the plan's success.

"Very well," said the Cyclonian ruler. "You may go."

Azula bowed before Cyclonis and smiled. Her manipulation had once again proven to be one of her defining attributes, and it got her what she wanted.

Not wasting any more time, Cyclonis spread out her arms and said, "Now get going, and prepare for your encounter with the Storm Hawks."

Dark Ace, Ravess and Snipe all bowed before her before exiting, and the Raptors soon followed after them. Azula had also walked out of the bridge to go along with them. When no one was looking, her smile then turned into a smirk as she was thinking of her ulterior motive for being a part of this plan.

* * *

The Earth Kingdom palace was now filled with sorrow. The group was now inside the Throne Room along with the Earth King to tell him what had just occurred. Sad expressions were now spread across everyone's face for having lost one of their members. The only two individuals who were the most upset over this were Aang and Sokka. The two boys embraced each other to try and comfort their feelings.

Radarr walked up on his hind legs and saw his new friends were overcome with grief. The furry co-pilot let out a sad chirp to his fellow teammates to let them know he was sharing their feelings. He was then comforted as Piper patted him on the head.

"It's okay, Radarr," Piper said in a reassuring tone. "We'll figure out something to save Katara."

Junko sniffed while he wiped a tear from his eye and said, "Poor Katara. I hope those Nightcrawlers don't hurt her."

"Yeah," said Aerrow. "I just wish there was something we could do about it."

"I understand your problem and I wish I could help," said the Earth King, "but unfortunately, I cannot spare any troops while we are preparing for Azula's arrival."

Sokka was outraged by the Earth King's response. "What?" he shouted. "This is insane! You wouldn't have known about Azula's invasion if it wasn't for us! And now you're saying that you can't help us in our time of need?!"

Aang interjected before Sokka accidentally said the wrong thing to the Earth King. Placing both hands on his friend's shoulders, the boy Avatar said, "Sokka, you have to calm down. I know you're upset – so am I, but this isn't the way to solve the problem."

Sokka took in a few deep breaths before he blinked and finally relaxed.

Turning to the Earth King, Aang said, "Please forgive him, Your Majesty..."

"It's all right," replied the Earth King.

Now that Sokka was finally calm, he said, "I am sorry, Your Majesty. It's just that... I don't want to lose Katara, especially since I've already lost my mother."

"We won't let that happen, Sokka," said Zuko. "Katara is just as important to the rest of us as she is to you." Everyone else soon nodded in agreement with Zuko's statement.

Just then, Toph lifted up her head as though she noticed something. "Hey," she said, "someone's coming – fast!"

No sooner did Toph say that when an Earth Kingdom soldier came running into the Throne Room while carrying a thin, red container in his hands. Everyone turned to see the man entering and immediately run up to the Earth King. The soldier knelt before his king in salute before delivering the news.

"Your Majesty," said the soldier, "this message mysteriously arrived in front of the palace."

"What does it say?" asked the Earth King.

"I don't know. I've taken it to all our scholars and none of them can tell me what it says."

Feeling curious, Aerrow stepped forward and said, "Let me take a look at it."

The Earth King nodded to the soldier, indicating to let Aerrow see the message. The soldier did what he was ordered and presented the Sky Knight with the container. Aerrow took it and twisted off the cap, letting the rolled-up paper slide out into his hands. The message was unrolled, and Aerrow figured no one could read the message since it was written in the language used on Atmos. What made Aerrow more definite was that the Cyclonian insignia was emblazoned at the top-left corner.

Taking in a deep breath, Aerrow read the message, saying, "It says, _'Storm Hawks, we will be waiting for you in a forest northeast of the city. We will give you back the girl unharmed if the Sky Knight comes by himself. Don't forget the dimension stone.'_"

"That's gotta be a trap," said Finn after hearing the message.

"I know it is," said Aerrow. "I don't expect anything less from the Cyclonians. But we'll have to go along with their demands."

Stork opened his eyes in surprise and said, "Aerrow, have you lost your mind?! We're talking about the Cyclonians here! They'll wipe you out in a heartbeat!"

"Yeah, Aerrow," agreed Piper, "and if they take the dimension stone, we'll never get back to Atmos."

"I won't let them hurt Katara or take the dimension stone," replied the Sky Knight, "and I think I know how we can pull it off."

"What's your plan, Aerrow?" wondered Aang.

"The message said the Cyclonians will be in a forest outside of the city, right? So all we have to do is give them our own surprise." Everyone soon smiled at the Sky Knight's strategy. The rest of the Storm Hawks weren't surprised since this wasn't the first time Aerrow had shown his brilliant leadership skills.

"We'd better hurry," said Aerrow. "We only have until dawn when we have to make the exchange."

Aerrow brought his hand forward, and pretty soon, the rest of his friends – old and new – put their hands over his as a sign of trust. Everyone then shot their hands up to signify they were going to make this plan work without any flaws.

* * *

Dawn was now approaching over the Earth Kingdom. The tip of the sun loomed over the horizon, bringing its golden rays across the land but still allowing darkness to remain until it was in full view.

The forest where the exchange was to be made was a tranquil place with many trees lining the ground. Their leaves were spread out enough to keep the area dark but still let enough light through to make everything visible. Several bushes were also scattered about and there was even a large boulder standing off to the side.

Aerrow walked into the meeting place, and his boots made squishing noises as they hit the dew-covered grass. A stern look was frozen on his face as he waited patiently for the transaction to take place, but he was also concerned about what he discussed with his friends the night earlier.

_I hope this'll work_, the Sky Knight thought.

Just then, the teenage boy turned around as he heard a twig snapping. He frowned upon looking in that direction. There, he saw the Talon commander Snipe laughing maliciously. In his right hand the burly man held his mace, and his left hand held onto Katara by the back of her dress. The girl was struggling in his grip as he walked forward, but couldn't break free. Aerrow could see she was bound in shackles, which made him furious on the inside.

"Well, well, well..." Snipe said tauntingly. "If it isn't the brave hero come to save his little friend."

"All right, Snipe," said Aerrow. "I'll give you the dimension stone, but you have to give me Katara first."

Katara realised what was happening so she said in protest, "Aerrow, you can't! This is all a–"

"Shut up!" Snipe shouted before Katara said too much. Turning his attention back to Aerrow, he replied, "Not so fast, Sky Knight. I'm not doin' a thing 'til you drop your weapons first."

Aerrow narrowed his eyes in anger, but realised he would have to comply or else he would risk Katara getting hurt. Bringing his hands behind his back slowly, he removed his daggers and gently set them on the ground.

"Good," said Snipe. "Now walk over and set the stone on the ground, and then I'll give her to ya. And remember: if you try anything funny, she'll get a taste of this!" The burly man demonstrated by lifting up his mace and bringing it close to Katara's face, making the girl turn away in fear.

The boy Sky Knight then reached behind his back to grab something. Snipe saw what he was doing and gave him a suspicious look, but it soon faded when he saw Aerrow was getting out the dimension stone. The burly man chuckled slightly as he saw the teenage boy set the stone down in front of him. As soon as the stone was in reach, Snipe pushed Katara in front of him and sent her into Aerrow's arms. Aerrow looked at Katara's face and saw a single tear roll down her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Aerrow," Katara sobbed, blaming herself for this situation.

"Don't be..." replied Aerrow. "This wasn't your fault."

Snipe laughed as he picked up the dimension stone and held it out to mock Aerrow. "Too bad for you, Sky Knight," he said. "Now that we've got the stone, we're gonna finish what we started!"

At that moment, rustling was coming from the bushes behind Snipe. Aerrow and Katara turned their gaze over to the source and saw figures leap out to make their own appearances. Standing to Snipe's sides were Dark Ace, Ravess, the Raptors, the Nightcrawlers, and Azula dressed in her black armour. The Cyclonian forces had their weapons drawn while Azula held a blue flame in each of her hands, and they were now laughing as they thought they had caught Aerrow by surprise.

Aerrow frowned at the Cyclonians double-crossing him, but he only let them believe he fell for it.

"I'm disappointed in you, Aerrow," said Dark Ace. "I didn't think you could be this naïve."

"You should've known better than to trust the word of a Cyclonian," said Ravess.

"It's payback time, boy!" said Repton.

Snipe held up his mace and said, "Any last words?"

Aerrow smiled upon being asked that question. "Yes, I do," he replied. "Radarr, now!"

Some rustling was heard from the tree behind Snipe. Out from the top jumped the Storm Hawks' furry co-pilot who then rushed over to the burly man and bit down on his back leg. Snipe felt the sharp pain and narrowed his pupils. He proceeded by shouting in agony and throwing his hands into the air, releasing the dimension stone from his grip. The act was so sudden that everyone was frozen in their tracks as to what was happening. Radarr let go of Snipe when he saw the dimension stone falling and running on all fours; he zipped past everyone and jumped to grab the stone before it hit the ground. The furry co-pilot chirped as he gave a thumbs up to his friends, making them smile.

Snipe rubbed the back of his leg and was now furious for being tricked. Bringing up his mace, he said, "Why you...!"

The burly man thrust his weapon outward to make the spiked ball extend from the base by the chain. Aerrow and Katara cringed to prepare for the worst, but they opened their eyes quickly as they saw another figure leap out of the bushes behind them. It was Aang, and he immediately took action by thrusting out his palms to blast air at the approaching spiked ball. The force of the air sent the ball back over to Snipe, who was dumbfounded at the turn of events.

"Not again," Snipe whimpered, remembering this happened before by Junko.

The spiked ball hit Snipe in his head and left him staggering backward while his eyes rolled in their sockets. The rest of his team saw Piper, Finn, and Junko jump out of the bushes with their weapons drawn.

The Cyclonians were ready to face off against them when they heard rumbling coming from the boulder. They turned their attention to it to see it was now moving toward the Nightcrawlers at an alarming speed. The squad leapt out of the way but the boulder ended up hitting one of them in the process, sending it crashing into a nearby tree. The boulder had been moved by Toph since she was now standing where it once stood. She was then joined by Sokka, Zuko, and Mai.

All of Aerrow's friends had now gathered around him, and so he took this time to grab his daggers from off the ground. The Sky Knight went over to Katara with his daggers ignited, and slashed down with them. The shackles around Katara's wrists and ankles were now destroyed, giving the girl freedom to move.

Smirking, Aerrow said, "Now what was that about me being naïve?"

Dark Ace grunted in anger upon seeing the Storm Hawks perform their own surprise. "Attack!" he shouted.

Everyone charged in ready for battle. While everyone was off fighting, Radarr ran for cover while carrying the dimension stone in his front paws. He hoped nobody would notice him amidst all the action, but his luck ran out as a Nightcrawler jumped out in front of him. The dark figure hissed while baring his claws, making Radarr screech in fright and run away. The Nightcrawler chased after him and leapt at the given chance. The furry co-pilot dived away but let the dimension stone slip out of his grasp.

The stone rolled along the ground until it finally stopped in front of Azula. The girl looked down to see it and saw everyone else was too busy fighting to take notice. Seeing this was her chance, she kicked the stone into a nearby bush to keep it hidden just before Zuko approached her.

"You won't get away with this, Azula!" shouted the Fire Lord.

"You can try all you like," she responded, "but by tomorrow, my forces will arrive here to take over the Earth Kingdom and eventually the rest of the world. What you're doing is meaningless, so why don't you just admit defeat?"

The only response Azula got from her brother was a blast of flames from both his fists, which she countered with her own.

Meanwhile, Aerrow clashed his blades with the Dark Ace with neither of them gaining the upper hand until Dark Ace pushed with all his might against Aerrow. The boy was lunged back and hit the ground, leaving the Talon commander to laugh as he thought he had succeeded. Dark Ace brought up his sword to deliver another blow, but he noticed the sound of running water coming from behind him. Thinking fast, he turned around to slash downward to divide the incoming water and saw Katara standing there with her arms stretched out to attack.

Dark Ace then ran over to deal with Katara while Aerrow was down, and the girl got more water out from her carrier. Dividing it evenly, she then turned the water into icicles to shoot them toward Dark Ace. The Talon commander deflected each icicle before they could hit him. Katara had a worried look on her face as she realised that all the water from her carrier was now gone, leaving her defenceless. Dark Ace then fired a pulse from his sword at the ground, causing Katara to scream as she was sent back from the force. The waterbender looked on in fear as Dark Ace slowly made his way to her with his sword held out in front of him.

"Did you really think a little water could stop me?" said Dark Ace.

As Dark Ace got closer, Piper fired a blue pulse from her staff to dissipate Ravess's arrow. The navigator then fired another shot before her opponent could retaliate and hit her in the chest to momentarily stun her. Piper took this moment to scan the battlefield and saw Katara was in danger. Thinking quickly, she took out something from her back.

"Katara, catch!" shouted Piper, throwing the water crystal to her.

Katara looked up to see the incoming object and caught it in mid-air using her waterbending. Dark Ace was left aghast at the display, and so Katara took this chance to stand up and bend water from the crystal. The water was shot forward and Dark Ace blocked it just in time. The water pressure was enough to push Dark Ace away from the girl. The Talon commander grunted in fury and raised his sword to strike, but he was knocked aside when he was hit by a blue pulse. Katara looked to see Aerrow had now recovered from his previous assault and was ready to fight once again.

The Nightcrawlers were occupied with attacking Aang, Toph and Mai as they fired off shots from their arm-mounted crossbows. Both Toph and Aang had lifted a stone wall up front to block the incoming shots while Mai leapt over it. The Nightcrawlers looked with confusion to see the girl throw her stilettos at them. The flying daggers had hit the Nightcrawlers' weapons, making them blow sparks. The stone wall was lowered, and so Aang fired gusts of air while Toph raised earth beneath the Nightcrawlers, causing them to all fly from being either lifted or blown back.

Junko and Snipe were having another test of brawn while Repton slashed wildly with his boomerang and tried to hit Finn, but the sharpshooter made a cowardly scream as he dodged each attack. Unfortunately for Finn, he knew his crossbow was no good to him when Repton was this close.

While Finn was dodging his assailant, Sokka stood alone as the remaining Raptors surrounded him with their swords drawn.

Hoerk chuckled and said, "What'cha gonna do, kid? You wanna take on all of us?"

Sokka smirked and drew his own sword, saying, "That's not a bad idea."

Hoerk didn't take that response too well, so he ignited his sword and thrust forward. The teenage boy countered the attack by blocking with his sword. Yellow sparks flew as the two swords clashed against each other. Sokka saw from the corner of his eye that Lugey and Spitz were running towards him with their swords raised high. In one quick movement, he pushed off Hoerk and swung around to block the incoming attacks. Both Raptors pushed down on Sokka's sword, making him sweat from their combined strength.

Spitz laughed as he said, "I thhhink you're in over your head, boy!"

Sokka merely grunted as he drew back his sword and quickly swung it to his right. The attack was unexpected, and it knocked the weapons out from both Raptors. While Lugey and Spitz were confused, Sokka followed up by landing kicks into each of their stomachs. The two Raptors were left writhing in pain after the attack, and Sokka took a moment to catch his breath unaware that Hoerk was advancing on him. The burly Raptor almost claimed Sokka as his victim when he was suddenly knocked down when a flying object struck the back of his head.

Sokka whipped around to see the Raptor lying on the ground, groaning in pain as his eyes rolled around in their sockets. Lying on the ground next to him was a yellow fan.

At that moment, everyone paused to see two new figures enter the battlefield. They were two girls clothed in long, green dresses that were complimented with black gloves, boots and wrist guards, and black leather armour worn over their chests. Both girls also wore white make-up with red eye shadow that completely covered their faces, but they also had their differences.

The taller girl was fifteen years old and she had short, auburn hair with bluish-green eyes, and she also wore a golden headpiece to signify herself as the leader. The shorter girl was fourteen years old and her long, brown hair was tied in a braid that complemented her brown eyes, and her forehead was adorned with a golden band.

The taller girl ran up next to Hoerk, grabbing the fan that she previously threw at him. Sokka looked at her and his face immediately showed happiness. "Suki!" he cried in joy.

"It's good to see you too, Sokka," replied Suki, "but right now we've got more important things to do."

"Oh, right." The boy picked up his sword to resume fighting.

Finn took this moment to aim his crossbow while Repton was distracted and fired a bolt at the Raptor's chest. The Raptor leader was still distracted and only saw the incoming projectile at the last second. With no time to block it, he screamed in pain as he took the bolt and was knocked several feet away.

"Yes! I am so good!" the marksman cried out in victory.

As the battle continued, Sokka faced off against the now conscious Hoerk while Suki fought Spitz and the other girl was fighting Lugey. Suki was able to dodge each of Spitz's thrusts and when she saw her chance; she grabbed the Raptor by the arm and flung him over her shoulder. Spitz screamed in fright as he was catapulted by the girl and sent into a nearby tree face first.

Meanwhile, the other girl quickly dodged Lugey's slow attacks with ease. The Raptor decided to change tactics by swinging at the girl's feet, but she saw the move coming and flipped in the air and landed right behind the portly Raptor. Lugey was getting frustrated dealing with this girl so he swung his tail to try and grab her, but she once again showed her acrobatic skills by somersaulting in the air and landed gracefully.

"Hold still, will ya?!" shouted Lugey.

Now Lugey thrust outward with his sword, but the girl ducked in time and extended her hand with her index and middle fingers serving as her striking method. The attack hit the Raptor in the arm, blocking its chi point and making it limp to Lugey's side and forced him to drop his weapon. Lugey saw this and was now more infuriated, so he followed up with a hook from his other arm. The girl ducked once more and did the same attack to make Lugey's other arm limp. The Raptor then attempted to tackle the girl, and once again she jumped into the air and landed behind Lugey. She followed up by using the same attack against Lugey's back, causing the Raptor to cry in agony as he fell to the ground.

Suki looked on after defeating Spitz and said, "Good work, Ty Lee!"

The girl known as Ty Lee looked away from Lugey's limp body and said, "He wasn't much of a challenge..."

The Nightcrawlers were now advancing towards Aang, Toph and Mai. The three of them got ready for another battle, but then noticed their adversaries were covering themselves from something. The morning sun was now coming over the horizon, and the light was now shining through the trees. The Nightcrawlers all hissed as the light washed over them, and it made their skin crawl from being exposed to the brightness.

"Retreat!" shouted the Nightcrawler leader. All his fellow troops followed the order as they ran from the battlefield to escape the light.

Snipe saw that most of the Cyclonian troops had now vanished, and it was that moment Junko used to punch Snipe in the face. Dark Ace had fallen backward after fighting Aerrow, Ravess backed away after Piper nearly shot her with blue pulses, Repton limped from being hit with Finn's bolt, and Spitz and Hoerk struggled while carrying Lugey. All around, the Cyclonian forces watched as the Storm Hawks and the Avatar's group advanced on them.

Meanwhile, Zuko and Azula still fought each other with neither one getting the upper hand. Each flame from one firebender was countered by the other. Azula jumped away from Zuko just as sparks formed around her fingertips. She thrust out her hand to shoot lightning at her brother, but Zuko was prepared for the assault. Bringing his hands together, he took the lightning head-on and moved one of his hands down his arm and over his stomach, making sure not to let the lightning pass his heart. Shouting in fury, the Fire Lord had re-directed the lightning to Azula. The girl barely had enough time to dodge the attack and screamed when the attack struck the ground in front of her.

Azula looked on to see that all her companions were now battered, but she also knew her intended plan was a success. To make her brother think he had won, she cried out, "Fall back!"

No one else argued with her as the Cyclonian forces all withdrew from the forest along with Azula. Dark Ace looked over his shoulder and shouted, "This isn't over, Storm Hawks!"

The battle was now over, so the Storm Hawks de-activated and sheathed their weapons. Sokka looked to see his sister was now safe and he could no longer contain his feelings. He ran over to her with tears of joy forming in his eyes and embraced her in a caring hug. Katara also had tears in her eyes for the fear she had of never seeing her brother again.

"Katara," said Sokka, "I'm so glad you're safe."

"Oh, Sokka," she said. "I was so scared."

Aang also joined them and gave them both a hug as he was glad they were back together again. Everyone else smiled to see that their friend was back with them. That's when Aerrow realised the point of this fight and saw his co-pilot walking in with a sad look on his face.

"Radarr, what's wrong?" Aerrow asked out of concern. "Where's the dimension stone?"

Radarr merely shook his head and chirped sadly, indicating he had lost it.

"That's not good," said Finn.

"Something tells me the Cyclonians don't have it either... or else they would've left during the battle," said Piper. "For right now, we should head back to the palace so we can recuperate."

"Good idea, Piper," said Aerrow. "Let's get going."

As everyone exited the forest, Mai said, "So now we're back where we started. What a pain."

The battlefield was now empty and the tranquility of the forest returned. All of a sudden, a lone figure stepped out from the bushes. It was Azula, and a smile formed across her lips when she saw no one was in sight. Making her way slowly over to another set of bushes, she reached into it until she felt something between her fingers. The girl then pulled out her arm when she retrieved the dimension stone she had intended to hide from everyone else. Her eyes narrowed while her smile turned into a sneer as she now had the one thing to keep the Cyclonians with her. Azula then exited the forest to re-join the Cyclonians as she placed the dimension stone in her robes to keep it a secret from everyone.

* * *

BlueTiger321: =O Katara is now safe, but Azula has the dimension stone! What will happen next?

Azula: You'd better keep it a secret, or else...! *brings up her flames*

BlueTiger321: O_OU No! Please don't hurt me, Azula! I'm just a helpless author!

Azula: *dissipates her flames* Well, since the author is too scared right now, I'll say to all of you that you should stay tuned for the next chapter. So, until next time, read and review, or else...! *brings up her flames*

BlueTiger321: =( Help me!


	10. Chapter 10: Discovery

Chapter 10: Discovery

BlueTiger321: Hi, everyone and welcome to the next chapter. Once again, I apologise for not updating regularly, but it's because I've got lots of more important things to do. Okay, so read on to continue the story. Enjoy!

The city of Ba Sing Se was now bathed in the morning glow to start a new day. All across the vast metropolis, the citizens were unaware of the battle that took place from outside the walls. To each person, it would just be a normal day without worry or cause for concern of the incident.

The only ones who did know were now together inside the Throne Room in the Earth King's palace. The Storm Hawks and the Avatar's group, who now had two new members added to their ranks, stood in front of His Majesty to explain what became of the previous exchange.

Aang was the one standing before the king, saying, "...And so, Azula and the others all took off after we defeated them but now we still don't know what happened to the dimension stone."

"I see," said the Earth King. "Well I'm glad your friend is back safe and sound, but haven't you tried to look for the stone once the battle was over?"

Piper stepped up to answer the question. Holding the crystal scope in her hands, she replied, "I have, Your Majesty. I looked all over the area but I couldn't detect any trace of the dimension stone. The only explanation I can think of is the Cyclonians do have it."

"Oh, great," said Stork worriedly. "Now they'll get back to Atmos for sure."

"I don't think they've used it yet," assured Piper. "If they did, my crystal scope would've detected the sudden flux in energy. So far, it's been quiet."

"But if they do have the stone, why haven't they used it?" wondered Aerrow.

Piper shrugged her shoulders and said, "Beats me." Even she couldn't understand this dilemma.

"Well whatever the reason," said Sokka, "I'm grateful that Suki showed up when she did..."

The aforementioned girl smiled in response to the boy. "You're welcome, Sokka," she said.

Out of curiosity, Katara asked Suki, "What were you doing here, anyway?"

"Ty Lee and I were already on our way to Ba Sing Se by the Earth King's request. We were acting as ambassadors to discuss the relations between the Earth Kingdom and Kyoshi Island. On our way to the city, we noticed that you and everyone else were in trouble so, naturally, we rushed in to help."

While Suki explained her story, Junko looked around, wondering where someone had gone. "Hey," he asked, "where's Radarr?"

Everyone then turned their heads when they heard screeching. The Storm Hawks immediately knew who made the sound since they heard it so many times before while the others all guessed as to what could make that noise. There, they all saw Radarr struggling around in Ty Lee's arms. The girl had picked up the furry co-pilot with a huge grin on her face. Radarr, unfortunately, wasn't sharing the girl's feelings since she had picked him up so suddenly.

"Oh, you're the cutest thing I've ever seen!" Ty Lee said with glee.

Ty Lee was now hugging Radarr so tight that his head was swelling up and turning red while he continued screeching in fear. At last he finally managed to squirm free from her grip, and he wasted no time rushing behind Aerrow's legs. The co-pilot breathed hard after his escape. He had never felt this afraid since the time Junko baby-sat his relative, Tynki.

Aang had a weird look on his face after seeing what just happened while Momo jumped on him to rest on the boy's shoulders. "I hope he's okay," he said.

"He'll be fine," Aerrow assured him. Radarr merely looked up at the red-haired boy to give him an angry look and chirped as if to disagree with what he said.

Suki then got a look at the Sky Knight squadron and realised she never met them. "I don't think we've been properly introduced," she said.

Turning to her, Aerrow said, "Oh, I'm Aerrow, leader of the Storm Hawks." The Sky Knight then turned to his teammates and pointed to them while giving out their names. "This is my squadron – Piper, Finn, Junko, Stork and Radarr." In response, Piper, Junko, Stork and Radarr all smiled and waved at her, and Finn smiled while giving his trademark pistol fingers.

Suki waved to each of them to say hello, but then got the feeling like they didn't belong here. "So... why do you all look so... different?" she asked.

"It's because we're not from this world," replied Piper. "We accidentally came here with our enemies, the Cyclonians. Now we're trying to get back to our world with the Cyclonians so they won't cause any more harm to this world."

Suki nodded her head, understanding what Piper had explained to her. Just then, she felt a nudge and looked down to see Toph was trying to get her attention. The blind girl then said, "That's about as clear as she can make it without going into every detail."

The girl blinked oddly at the statement, but soon turned back to the Sky Knight and said, "Well I'm Suki, leader of the Kyoshi Warriors."

"...And I'm Ty Lee," she said, bowing to the Storm Hawks.

"It's nice to meet both of you," said Aerrow, "and thank you for your help back in the forest."

Finn stepped forward, saying, "Seriously, you were both awesome!" The boy soon shifted his focus on Ty Lee. "I saw how you took care of Lugey. What did you do to him?"

"All I did was block his chi points so he couldn't fight back," the girl replied.

"Believe me," said Sokka, "it _really_ works."

Finn then narrowed his eyes and smiled at the girl, saying, "Well, maybe you could teach me some of your moves... in private?" The blonde sharpshooter then flashed a toothy grin while he was flirting with Ty Lee.

In response, the girl averted her eyes and backed away from the marksman. Finn widened his eyes in shock after seeing she wasn't interested in him, leaving his teammates to laugh at his failed attempt.

The Earth King broke the laughter by adding his own thoughts. "It is good to see everyone getting along," he said, "but now we have more important matters to discuss."

"That's right," said Zuko. "While I was fighting with Azula, she mentioned that she and the Cyclonians are arriving tomorrow to start the invasion. We have to be prepared for them by then."

"But with her combined forces, I'm not sure if we're able to hold our own against them," mentioned Katara.

"We must..." said Aang. "It's for the sake of our entire world. We've done it once before, and we can do it again!"

"Still," said Sokka, "we may need all the help we can get if we're going up against an army of two worlds."

"Then maybe we should seek help from our other allies," said Aang.

"How are we gonna do that?" Junko wondered. "The Cyclonians and those firebendy guys are gonna be here tomorrow. We can't get more people to come here in one day."

Piper put her finger to her lips while she contemplated the situation. Her eyes then lit up as a thought popped into her head. "I think I know how we can do it," she said. "Stork, in my room I have a box under my bed with turbo crystals inside it. I was saving them for a rainy day, and now I think this is probably the best time to use them. You can take Aang on the _Condor_, and the two of you can head out across the world to gather more help. You should be able to get back here before the day is out."

Stork rubbed his chin and pondered. Upon reaching his decision, he said, "That idea is absolute madness... but, I guess we have no other choice."

"Good idea, Piper," praised Aang. "If this works, we'll be able to stand up to Azula's forces for sure..."

"Don't be so positive, Aang. You haven't faced the Cyclonians like we have." The response from Stork only left a strange look on Aang's face.

Aerrow looked at the Merb and the boy Avatar with a concerned look on his face. He knew this plan was a long shot, but it would help add to their numbers against the enemy forces. "Aang, Stork," he said, "be careful out there."

"We will be," said Aang. Turning to the Storm Hawks' helmsman, he said cheerfully, "Let's go, Stork!" The boy took off so suddenly that Momo was forced to fly away and land on the floor.

The Merb only grunted and rolled his eyes from having been told what to do. The _Condor_ was his possession so he thought he should be the one who gives out the orders. Aang and Stork had now left the group and were now going to perform their task of getting more allies to join their cause.

Once the two were gone, Toph said, "So what're we supposed to do in the meantime?"

"Why don't you all take this time to relax?" the Earth King suggested. "You've already been through many hardships up to this moment, so maybe you should try to relieve some of your stress?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Aerrow. "Let's all head out and explore the city."

Everyone smiled and nodded their heads. They all felt this was a well-earned opportunity to do something other than fighting after all they had accomplished. Everyone bowed before the Earth King to take their leave and so they all headed for the exit, but each of them couldn't help but wonder about what the future might hold with the inevitable battle.

* * *

The Fire Nation army had now made its way onto Earth Kingdom territory. Troops of firebenders were marching down in rows while the massive tanks moved in front of them, crushing anything in their paths. High above the ground troops were the Fire Nation war balloons with their insignia emblazoned in black against a red background, letting all know who was bringing a rain of destruction.

The Cyclonian battle cruiser had positioned itself in front of the war balloons, making its way across the skies to lead the small flying rides towards the Earth Kingdom capital.

The bridge in the Cyclonian's ship was now contained with both fury and terror. Master Cyclonis was displaying her dissatisfaction to Ravess, Snipe and the Raptors for their failure. All of them were shaking before Cyclonis's might for they knew she would show them her true anger. Once again, Dark Ace was being exempt from scorn and Azula was joined with him.

Taking in a deep breath, the Cyclonian ruler relaxed and changed her expression to show she was calm. "Snipe?" she said.

In response, the burly Talon commander stepped forth to obey. After taking in a big gulp, he whimpered, "Yes, Master Cyclonis?"

"I left you in charge of getting the dimension stone from Aerrow, did I not?"

"Uh... yes, you did." Snipe wasn't sure where this was going, but he would rather not keep Cyclonis guessing.

"So you got the dimension stone and then returned his friend. Then what happened?"

"Uh... the Storm Hawks caught us by surprise, and, uh... we got smacked around."

Cyclonis took in another deep breath and asked, "But... do you still have the dimension stone?"

Shifting his eyes back and forth, Snipe said, "Uh... well, you see... the thing is..." Seeing he was only stalling, he lowered his head in shame while saying, "No."

That was the only thing Cyclonis needed to lift her hand and wrap Snipe in a pink aura. The girl then shot her hand outward and made the burly man scream as he was forced to move across the floor. Snipe's massive body smacked against the wall, leaving him with more pain added from the previous battle.

Cyclonis released the aura and turned to her other subordinates. Her look of rage had returned, making all the others quake in fear. "Thanks to your incompetence, we're now further from reaching our goal!" she said. "How is it that I got stuck with such pathetic imbeciles?!"

"But Master Cyclonis," said Ravess, "the Storm Hawks don't have the dimension stone either, so we–"

"No more excuses!" shouted Cyclonis, causing all the others to raise their arms in defence. "I don't want any more hindrances in getting back the stone so I can finally return to Atmos! If you fail me one more time, then I will show you all what kind of pain I'm truly capable of inflicting! Now get out!"

None of the Cyclonian commanders being scolded needed another incentive to leave the bridge. They, along with the Raptors, hurried out of the bridge for fear of receiving more of Cyclonis's fury.

The Cyclonian ruler was now left alone in the bridge with the Dark Ace, Azula and the Talons at the controls.

"Master Cyclonis," said Dark Ace, "if I may, I would gladly see to it that the dimension stone is found without any interruption."

"No," Cyclonis said while waving her hand. "I need you most of all to take down the Storm Hawks once we find them and their new friends."

"You needn't worry," said Azula. "My soldiers are prepared for any kind of situation. They'll be ready to strike down both our enemies when the time comes."

"They'd better be..." grunted Cyclonis. "As far as I'm concerned, you haven't held up _your_ end of the bargain. You've failed to retrieve the dimension stone, and the Storm Hawks are still out there. I'm starting to think that you're only in this for yourself."

Azula only closed her eyes while shaking her head as though she was disagreeing with Cyclonis's accusation. "I can assure you that my intentions are purely to help us both succeed," she said. "It may have taken some more effort than expected, but I will give you the result you want."

"Well then you should stop wasting time explaining it and start working towards it! I don't care how it gets done; I just want you to give me what I desire!"

Cyclonis's comeback caused Azula to narrow her eyes in anger. She was now forced to exit the bridge while taking those words in with great displeasure. The automatic door closed behind her, and the wicked girl saw that she was alone in the hallway.

"Oh, I'll give you what you desire..." Azula said to herself. She proceeded by drawing out the dimension stone from her robe. "But first, _you_ have to give me what _I_ desire."

Azula smirked while staring into the stone, thinking of what she was going to do with it. The crystal's glow turned her face green and made her expression appear more sinister. With this object in her possession, the girl thought there was nothing that could stop her from reaching her ultimate goal.

* * *

The upper ring of Ba Sing Se was bustling with activity to start off the morning. Every person was heading off to do business as usual like it was any other day. The Storm Hawks walked down the street to take in the sights along with their new companions while Aang and Stork went off to complete their task.

Every way the group went, they kept receiving stares from the civilians as though they were an unwanted band of people. The glaring especially made Junko feel uneasy since he was the one most of the people were confounded to see due to his appearance.

"Why does everyone keep lookin' at us?" asked Junko.

"It's probably because we look different from them," replied Aerrow.

"Well, I wish they'd cut it out," said Finn. "They're starting to give me the creeps."

"Don't worry about them," said Zuko. "They don't know who you are, but they will eventually."

Everyone continued walking while attempting to ignore all the staring and whispering going on behind their backs. They all soon came to a stop when a beeping sound was heard. It left everyone in a state of wonder because it had come unexpectedly.

"What's that noise?" wondered Suki.

Piper reached behind her back to pull out a familiar device. "It's my crystal scope," she answered. "It must be picking up some crystal energy."

Finn merely groaned in annoyance. "Come on," he said. "Can't you give that thing a rest?"

Piper was offended by Finn's complaint but she chose to ignore it. "According to these readings," she said, "it's detecting some crystals very close from here. The signal is faint, but we should be able to find out what it is."

Katara soon chimed in, saying, "Well it's better than wandering around while people stare at us. Let's go and see where it's coming from."

The Storm Hawks' navigator pointed the way and everyone followed her in that direction. Aerrow seemed to be the most curious of all to find out the mystery behind this. He knew the dimension stone was in this world for a reason, but why other crystals from Atmos were being spotted here didn't seem to make much sense.

Eventually, everyone arrived on a grassy plain away from the buildings. Piper looked down at her crystal scope to re-check the coordinates, making sure they were accurate.

"Now where do we go?" asked Ty Lee.

"The readings say that we're at the spot," said Piper, "so the crystals must be underground."

Sokka slapped his hand to his forehead in frustration and said, "Oh, that's just peachy! You dragged us all the way over here just so we could dig up some shiny rocks?! How do you expect us to find them, anyway?"

Piper was about to suggest what they do when she was interrupted when someone said, "Ahem!" That's when everyone turned around to notice Toph standing there with her arms folded over her chest and smiling smugly.

"Are you forgetting who's with you?" said the blind girl.

Toph pushed her way past her friends and got into an earthbending stance. Focusing hard, she spread out her arms to make a hole open in the middle of the grass. Everyone watched to see that a path leading down the hole at an angle was made to make it easier to descend underground. Toph was the first to enter the hole so she could continue using her earthbending to create the path while everyone followed behind her with satisfied looks on their faces. Appa stayed on the surface, mainly because he was afraid of going underground.

The path on which everyone walked was going deeper as Toph used her abilities to push more earth out of the way. Zuko had created a small flame in his hand to make it easier for everyone else to see.

"How much farther is it, Piper?" asked Aerrow.

The navigator checked her device and saw it flashing more rapidly. "It shouldn't be too long until we get there," she responded.

At that moment, Toph moved another slab of earth blocking the path and everyone looked on to see what was behind it. There, the Storm Hawks were left in awe as they saw a huge, hollowed out cavern that looked to be manmade. The centre contained a large pool of water with a waterfall as its source and many stone pillars lining the bottom to support the rock above. The most stunning quality about the area was the green crystals glistening in the darkness. The crystals were so bright that Zuko no longer needed the flame in his palm so he extinguished it.

"Wow!" said Aerrow. "What is this place?"

"These are the ruins of old Ba Sing Se," said Katara. "The city used to be underground and was forged by earthbenders until it became what it is today."

Looking at the crystals, Junko said, "Hey Piper, are these the crystals your scope was detecting?"

Piper held her device up to one of the many crystals and saw that her scope wasn't responding to it. "There's no energy signature coming from them," she said.

"Then why else would it go off like that?" said Aerrow.

Piper was about to add her own comment when she noticed her crystal scope was reacting again. This time, she read the coordinates and turned to her right. The navigator then went over to the spot and knelt down to find the source. She grunted as she pushed some rocks out of the way, and what she saw left her speechless. Lying on the ground in front of her was a group of crystals of many different sizes, shapes and colours.

The girl was joined by the rest of her friends when she made the discovery. All the Storm Hawks opened their eyes wide in shock to see so many crystals gathered together in one place.

"No way!" Finn said astounded.

"Are these the crystals you were looking for?" asked Suki.

"Apparently," said Piper while holding the crystals in her hands. "It's just... seeing this much here is... amazing."

"...And weird," added Aerrow. "How could it be that crystals from Atmos ended up in this world? It's like the time Piper found that crystal last night in the forest."

While Aerrow was giving his rant, Radarr wandered away to do some exploring of his own. The co-pilot walked on his hind legs while he looked around the catacombs. He turned a corner behind a boulder and looked upward. The object right before his eyes made him feel like his heart had abruptly stopped. Radarr set his face into panic, and soon he ran on all fours back to the group while chirping wildly.

Everyone else soon got Radarr's attention as they all turned around and wondered what had gotten him so agitated.

"Radarr, what's wrong?" said Aerrow.

The furry co-pilot soon caught his breath and tried to explain as best as he could what he had found. He spread out his arms and started flapping them up and down while bearing his teeth and making weird noises.

"Sorry," said Mai, "but none of us speak..." The girl was having difficulty determining exactly what kind of animal Radarr was. Eventually, she gave up and concluded, "...whatever you are."

"Ooh, I think I know what it is!" Finn said excitedly. "Okay, you... have to go to the bathroom?" Everyone looked at Finn oddly from his guess. "Radarr, why do you need to tell us that?"

Radarr stopped mid-way at what he was doing. Slapping his paw over his face, he chirped and pointed over to the previous spot.

"That's a good guess," said Katara, "but why don't we have a look for ourselves in case you're wrong?"

Everyone except Finn laughed at Katara's comment while they followed Radarr. The co-pilot let out another chirp as he pointed up to the object he had found. There, everyone froze in place at what they saw. Momo looked on and hissed while arching his back. Embedded in the side of the rock were the skeletal remains of a large, winged creature with sharp claws and a set of gnarly fangs set across its jaws. The eyes of the skull were slanted and it looked to have a pointed snout.

The Storm Hawks immediately recognised the creature from its structure, prompting Piper to say, "I don't believe it! It's a Verroc!"

"Yeah," said Aerrow, "or at least... what's left of it."

"What's a Verroc?" wondered Zuko.

"A dangerous creature found in Atmos," replied Piper. "We fought a whole hoard of them to defend people they were terrorising."

Finn calmly walked over and said, "Yup. That was when 'Yours Truly' was the Great Domo of Terra Vapos. Man, those were some good times."

The blonde sharpshooter was acting so egotistic of himself that he didn't notice an obstruction on the ground. Finn banged his foot against it, causing him to cry in pain while hopping around on his other foot.

Piper laughed at Finn's misfortune and said jokingly, "Very smooth, Great Domo." Finn responded by narrowing his eyes at her while tending to his sore foot.

"Wait," said Aerrow. His interest was focused on what Finn had accidentally hit. "That sounded like metal. Junko, can you bring it up?"

"I'm on it!" said the Wallop.

Using his superior strength, Junko lifted the object from the ground with ease. He wiped away what soil was left from it to reveal it was a wide piece of metal rounded at the edge. In its centre was an insignia of a golden swan within a circle.

The Storm Hawks looked at it and were even more shocked to see the symbol on it.

"What is it?" Toph wondered.

"The Rex Guardians?" Junko said bewildered.

"Who are they?" asked Sokka.

"They're another Sky Knight squadron on Atmos," Aerrow answered. "But this doesn't make any sense. How is it that things from our world are found in _this_ world?"

"I don't know," said Piper, "but I've got the feeling that our two worlds have been in contact with each other before."

"I think it's time we left. We've got more important things to do than find any more things down here."

The group then made its way out of the catacombs after making the discovery. All of them were now left perplexed by what they found, but the questions would have to wait until they made sure this world was safe.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Wow! Now things are starting to get more interesting.

Piper: Why did you make us leave? I wanted to look for more crystals.

Aerrow: Take it easy, Piper. We've still got the rest of the story. Besides, don't you think you've got enough crystals?

Piper: Aerrow, there's no such thing as 'enough crystals.'

BlueTiger321: Well folks, stay tuned to find out what happens in the next chapter. Until next time...

Aerrow and Piper: Read and review!


	11. Chapter 11: Reinforcements

Chapter 11: Reinforcements

BlueTiger321: Uh oh! Now the epic battle is approaching! What are the Storm Hawks and the Gaang going to do? Well, you'll just have to read on and find out for yourselves. =P

The plains of the Earth Kingdom were now littered with Fire Nation troops marching off to war. Ba Sing Se now only seemed within a short distance after all the traveling they had covered with the assistance of the Cyclonians, and it would only be a matter of time until they reached their destination. The sun was now close to setting, which meant they would have to work twice as fast if they were to reach the capital by daybreak.

As they marched, some of the soldiers looked on to see the tranquility of the Earth Kingdom and felt ashamed that they were forced to relinquish it from the people who rightfully had it. It only made matters worse when the tanks trampled over everything while they moved onward, forcing the soldiers to feel even more guilty for their actions.

One male soldier decided to strike up a conversation with his comrades. His focus was on the female soldier marching next to him. "I can't believe we're doing this... after all Lord Zuko has done to make peace with the other nations," he said.

The female soldier shared his sympathy. "I know how you feel," she said, "but Azula is calling the shots now. She threatened both us and our families if we didn't comply."

"Well I certainly won't put up with this. Zuko is still the Fire Lord and Azula is a lowly criminal who usurped her position. We shouldn't be taking orders from her."

Another male soldier overheard the conversation and decided to add his thoughts. "He's right," he said. "I say we should revolt against this ludicrous war!"

A Fire Nation soldier up front riding a komodo rhino turned his head back after he thought he heard a mutinous statement. His face was covered by the helmet usually worn to those of high ranking, and luckily no one could see his angered expression.

"What's going on back there?" the high-ranked soldier ordered.

The first male soldier saw this conversation was heading down a dangerous path so he and the other soldiers straightened upright and looked forward while continuing their march.

"Nothing, sir," the first soldier responded.

The high-ranked soldier made a 'humph' sound and followed up, saying, "That's what I thought. You'd better not say the wrong thing while you're in my presence." It was obvious this soldier was loyal to Azula, and he would show it by punishing those who went against her will.

The soldier turned his gaze back to the front as he continued his trek. Now the three lower-ranked soldiers saw that they were left alone so they decided to whisper amongst themselves.

"What are we gonna do?" said the female soldier. "It's not like we can just turn around and go home."

The second male soldier rubbed his fingers between his chin while he thought of a plan. "I think I know how we can put an end to this," he said, "but we'll need the help of the others – the ones who _aren't_ on Azula's side."

"We'll gather together at night time when we stop to rest," said the first male soldier, "and then we'll discuss your idea."

The three soldiers pressed forward while keeping their ideals a secret from the ones who valued the chance to strike against the Earth Kingdom once again. They would spread the word once they were given the opportunity, and hopefully it would put an end to another senseless massacre.

Meanwhile, the Cyclonian airship loomed over the sky while the Fire Nation war balloons trailed behind it. Inside the gigantic cruiser, the Talons were busy making their preparations while they were getting closer to fulfilling their duties. The ones located in the hangar bay made sure their Switchblades were in top performance as the ones in the armoury were equipping the ship's blasters with fully charged firebolt crystals.

Inside the bridge, Cyclonis waited patiently as all her followers were getting ready for the upcoming battle. She took this moment to contemplate her current situation. The Talons were going off with an army that she actually had no obligation to assist. This war had nothing to do with her even if the Storm Hawks were involved in it. All she wanted was to find the dimension stone and leave the Sky Knight squadron trapped here for the rest of their lives.

Cyclonis's thoughts were interrupted when Ravess, Snipe and the Raptors had re-entered the bridge. They, along with Dark Ace and Azula, waited for what the Cyclonian ruler was about to say.

Repton was shaking his head in fury as he shouted, "We still haven't found the dimension stone! This is getting to be a pointless effort!"

"Repton's right," said Ravess. "We flew back to the area where we fought the Storm Hawks and went over it with a fine-toothed comb, but there was still no trace of the stone."

Snipe only whimpered before his master's presence, saying, "Please don't hurt me, again."

"Master Cyclonis gave you all an order," bellowed Dark Ace, "so you shouldn't be making up more excuses!"

Cyclonis held up her hand to stop the elite Talon. "Settle down," she said. "Now we've got more important things to worry about."

"Yes," agreed Azula. "We're almost at Ba Sing Se, and a great battle is to commence."

"Wait a minute!" said Hoerk. "If that bald kid with the strange powers is there, I'm not gonna face him head on!"

"Yeah," said Lugey. "And that girl who gave me all those owies is scary!"

"I don't believe I gave any of you an option," said Azula. "We'll be heading to Ba Sing Se soon, and I expect you all to take place in battle."

Cyclonis was taken back by Azula's statement. "Excuse me," she said, "but since when do you give orders to _my_ troops?"

Azula silently chuckled to herself as she thought of how good this authority felt to her. "...Since you all came into my world," she said.

"I'm sorry, but the last time I checked, this still isn't your world."

"It will eventually, because now I have your gracious servitude..."

At that moment, the Dark Ace drew his sword and ignited it, pointing the blades at Azula's head. "You don't talk to Master Cyclonis like that ever!" he said angrily.

Once again, Cyclonis brought up her hand to stop the Talon commander. "Leave this to me," she said. Her focus was back on Azula as she narrowed her eyes in anger. "I feel that our business with you is concluded. If you won't aid me in finding the dimension stone, then you and I are no longer allies. You can either leave on your own, or I can throw you out myself! It's your choice."

Azula thought this was now the best time to reveal her secret. Keeping her composure, she said, "But if you get rid of me, then how will you ever get _this_ back?"

The self-acclaimed Fire Lord moved her hand behind her back and brought out a hidden object. What she held in her hand left everyone else with stunned looks. The dimension stone was right in front of them, and it glowed with pure radiance.

"Wow!" said Lugey. "That looks like the thingy we're supposed ta find."

"That _is_ the stone, you idiot!" shouted Repton. "She's been hiding it from us this whole time!"

Cyclonis felt amazement fill inside her when she saw the object she had set out to find was only a few inches from her. That amazement soon turned to rage as she realised Azula was the one in possession of it.

"Give me the stone... now!" the Cyclonian ruler demanded.

"Now why would I do that when I'm so close to achieving my goal?" said Azula.

"If you won't give me the stone, then I'll take it from you by force!"

Cyclonis then held up her hand, preparing to strike down Azula. Her subordinates had also drawn their own weapons to do the same.

Azula saw she was outnumbered and so in a desperate attempt, she had quickly formed lightning between her fingertips and held them close to the dimension stone. Cyclonis stopped what she was doing and opened her eyes wide with fear.

"Stop!" shouted Cyclonis.

The order was given and the ones under Cyclonis's command were forced to lower their arms. The Cyclonian ruler knew that the dimension stone would only work when it was given crystal energy, and Azula's firebending would surely destroy it.

"Smart move," said Azula. "I knew that even you wouldn't resort to anything hasty."

"How dare you?!" Cyclonis said in fury. "You know that's what I need and then you suddenly stab me in the back like this?!"

Azula shook her head at the remark while keeping her fingers hovering over the dimension stone. "How foolish can you possibly be?" she said. "This has been my intention from the beginning. At first, I didn't know what to make of your coming here but now I see that it was a blessing.

"I've been plotting every day in the asylum for my chance to relinquish what is rightfully mine. The next thing I know, you show up and set me free. All I had to do was gain your trust so you would eventually become what I know you are – the ultimate force that will make the rest of the world bow before me.

"I really thought you would've anticipated my plan, but I guess that's what I get for having faith in someone who doesn't belong in my world. And as a fellow malevolent ruler, you should know that I don't make deals with anyone."

Cyclonis grunted after hearing she had been used by Azula this whole time. "You conniving witch!" she said. "I should've let you rot in that cell!"

"Say what you will," said Azula, "but the fact remains that I hold the key to your domain. If you want it back – and I'm most certain that you do – then you will have to follow my demands until the very end..."

Cyclonis blinked while taking in the ultimatum. She wanted to make this girl writhe in agony for having deceived her, but she desperately wanted to return to Atmos and become its ruler. The sparks from Azula's fingers were inching closer to the dimension stone, meaning that time was running out for the Cyclonian ruler. With no other option, Cyclonis lowered her hands to show she was receding. The Talon commanders and the Raptors all had shocked looks on their faces to see their mighty leader become a slave.

Azula smirked when she saw Cyclonis had given in to her demand and so she dissipated the lightning from her fingers and tucked the dimension stone behind her back.

"I knew you'd make the right decision," Azula said mockingly.

"Mark my words," said Cyclonis. "I will make you suffer in a way that you would be begging for your life to end... quickly!"

"You can fantasize all you want, but it still won't get you back to your world if you don't have what you need. Now I believe we still have a world to conquer. If you'll excuse me, I must get back to my troops. Oh, and you should pass on the message to the rest of your followers... or else your precious stone might accidentally break if I were suddenly captured."

Azula left the bridge with a sense of pride filling up inside her as she had gotten the upper hand against the Cyclonians. The only thing Cyclonis could do was watch the wicked girl leave while she was reluctantly serving her command.

_What goes around, comes around_, thought the Cyclonian ruler.

* * *

The light of the full moon was now shining down over Ba Sing Se, and the _Condor_ had still not returned. Now everyone remained in the palace as they awaited the arrival of their allies. They all knew the battle would be coming soon but they didn't let the negative thoughts loom in their heads. The one thing they had to remember was to work together in order to defend their freedom.

Aerrow also had other conflictions on his thoughts. He was perplexed after seeing the objects from Atmos in this world. He pushed those thoughts aside when his friends were engaged in a conversation.

"I hope Aang makes it back in time," said Katara. "The day is almost up and we really need him now more than ever..."

"I'm sure he'll make it," Aerrow assured her. "Stork is with him and he's the best pilot I've ever seen."

"Well let's keep our fingers crossed that we don't get attacked tonight," said Finn.

"Azula wouldn't risk attacking us at this time," said Zuko. "She knows that firebending is stronger during the day so we're safe... for now."

Mai sighed after remaining in the palace for a long time. "If only Azula did attack tonight because I'm sick of waiting," she said.

"How can you say that?" Piper said in protest. "Your world is in danger and you're not taking it seriously?"

"Calm down, Piper," said Aerrow. "I'm sure we're all a little worried about what's gonna happen. But what I still can't understand is how crystals from Atmos are found here."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," said Toph. "So what if stuff from your world is in ours? Big deal! You should be happy that you've found some connection between the two, and it should at least give you hope that you can go home."

Aerrow thought over Toph's words carefully and knew that she spoke the truth. With his spirits lifted, the Sky Knight said, "You're right. That's not important right now. What _is_ important is making sure Azula is defeated and we take the Cyclonians back with us!"

Everyone smiled upon hearing Aerrow's statement, and they all stood in place when they heard a loud honking noise echoing throughout the palace. The Storm Hawks all had cheerful expressions on their faces since they had heard it numerous times before while everyone else wondered what had made that sound.

"What's that?" said Sokka. "I hope we're not under attack!"

"No," said Junko, "it's the _Condor_!"

The Storm Hawks all ran toward the exit while the others followed after them. Once everyone was outside, they all saw the giant airship landing down on the palace's courtyard. The _Condor_ had touched down and extended its landing gear until it was finally on the ground and shut off its engines.

Everyone on the ground walked up to the ship just as the ramp had extended from the middle. Two figures were the first to reveal themselves from the opening, and everyone saw that it was Aang and Stork. The boy Avatar smiled upon being re-united with his friends and so he jumped down and landed softly using his airbending. The first one he ran up to was Appa, and the sky bison accepted the boy's embrace willingly.

"So, how did it go Stork?" Aerrow said, greeting the helmsman.

"That had to be the most arduous task I've ever had to do," replied Stork. "I had to let so many people onto my ship, and who knows what kind of nasty things they could be carrying! Now I'll have to spend all night sterilizing the _Condor_... again!"

At that moment, two more figures stepped out from the ship. They were both full grown men clothed in Water Tribe attire with brown hair and blue eyes. One had his hair set back free against his head with a few strands tied into a ponytail, and the other had a goatee with his hair tied into a small bunch behind his head and into two individual strands to the right side of his face.

Sokka and Katara felt the most ecstatic upon seeing the two men. They ran up to the man with the goatee and embraced him.

"Dad!" Katara cried out in joy.

"It's so good to see you!" said Sokka.

Sokka and Katara's father, who was known as Hakoda, said, "I'm glad to be here as well. Bato and I are always ready to stand up to Azula." The other man, now known as Bato, smiled and nodded in response.

"I'm grateful for your support, Water Chief," said Zuko. "I just wish we could've met under better circumstances."

"You don't have to apologise, Fire Lord," Hakoda replied humbly.

"He's right," said Bato. "This is something that was beyond your control, and we're honoured to help you get your kingdom back."

More people had now exited the _Condor_, and they were all dressed the same way as Hakoda and Bato, indicating that they were also from the Water Tribes. They all stood together once they were off the ship.

Another pair of people walked out of the ship, but they were dressed in Earth Kingdom clothing. The first was an old man with green eyes, a bald scalp and a long, gray beard. The other was a young man with green eyes complimented with long, brown hair with a portion tied in a short ponytail, a green headband, and a thin goatee and moustache.

Katara saw the two men and smiled. Looking at the young man, she said, "Haru! You came to help us?"

Haru looked at the girl and replied, "Of course. Aang came and explained everything to us, so my father and I decided that we would help you and your new friends."

The old man was Haru's father and he was known as Tyro. Pulling on his beard, he said, "If our world is being threatened, then I feel it's our duty to protect it." Looking back at the _Condor_, he then said, "Though I must say – it felt a little strange to be traveling... on this ship."

Stork felt a little insulted at the comment. "You're welcome," he said sarcastically and crossed his arms.

Another group of people stepped out of the _Condor_. They were all women who were dressed the same way as Suki and Ty Lee. The group marched up to Suki and saluted her upon arrival.

"The Kyoshi Warriors are reporting for duty," said one of the girls.

"Good," replied Suki. "You all couldn't have come at a better time. Our mission is to protect Ba Sing Se from Azula's army. We begin at dawn."

Aang looked at who was coming down next. He then ran up the steps to assist the person out because he knew it was needed. The person was a thirteen-year-old boy with black hair and gray eyes dressed in Earth Kingdom clothing. The reason why he needed help out of the ship was because he was paralysed from the waist down and confined to a wooden wheelchair.

Aang gently pushed his hands forward to make air flow freely. The crippled boy then activated a switch that made a glider form on the back of his wheelchair, causing him to soar through the air. The Storm Hawks all looked on in wonder as to how such a device could be done.

After a few more seconds of gliding, the boy gently touched down on the ground and folded the glider back into his wheelchair with Aang jumping down to join him. The boy turned to the Avatar and said, "Thank you, Aang."

"It was my pleasure, Teo," the Avatar said, referring to the boy.

"Whoa!" said Piper. "Where did you get something like that?"

Teo turned to the girl and answered, "My father built it for me."

No sooner did Teo say that when another man walked out of the Storm Hawks' ship. It was a man wearing a white cloth protector over a green shirt and pants. His brown hair stood on its ends on the side of his head and it complimented his black eyes and brown, bushy beard and moustache. This man was Teo's father, and some refer to him as the Mechanist.

The man turned to the Storm Hawks and said, "Indeed, I did build it for my son. And I assume you are the owners of this flying craft?" The Mechanist pointed his hands over to the _Condor_ to signify his question.

"Yes, we are," said Aerrow.

The Mechanist smiled when he got his answer. Getting close to Aerrow, he said, "I am truly astounded to see this kind of machinery – I've never seen anything like it! Whoever designed it surely has a great level of technical prowess."

Stork got between the Sky Knight and Teo's father, saying, "Well, I don't mean to brag but I do my best to keep my darling ship in perfect shape. She may have her little problems, but that's all the more reason why I love her."

Finn held his hand close to Junko in order to cover his mouth. "Do ya think those two would get along without a hitch?" he whispered.

While everyone was catching up with the reunion, a lone figure stepped out from the shadows. Everyone looked to see it was Iroh, and he was now clothed in an indigo robe with many white details.

"Uncle," said Zuko, "why are you dressed like that?"

"I'm here to greet my companions," replied Iroh. "Before Aang left, he told me what he was going to do, and so I asked him to bring some people I know who would be helpful."

Iroh's words came true as four men headed down the _Condor's_ ramp. They were all wearing the exact same uniform he was, and they appeared to be seniors.

The first man had white hair around his bald scalp that went along with his blue eyes and thin moustache and goatee.

The second man wore a sword around his waist and he had hazel eyes, a black goatee and his black hair was tied back into a small bun.

The third man looked rather scary as his green eyes were disproportionate to each other while liver spots adorned his bald head and his face, and his white hair stuck out from his sides to match his short goatee.

The fourth man had white, bushy hair that went along with his thin moustache and beard, and his golden eyes. Two vertical scars also went down the right side of his face, indicating he had been in many battles over his lifetime.

Together, Iroh and these four men were part of a secret society known as the Order of the White Lotus.

(A/N: I'm sorry if I didn't add any more characters, but I didn't want to make it too confusing for all of you reading this story.)

Katara walked up to the first man, saying, "Pakku, it's good that you're here with us."

"Yes," agreed Pakku. "I wouldn't want to let my new grandchildren handle something this big on their own."

Katara smiled upon hearing those words. She was glad that Pakku considered her and Sokka as his own grandchildren ever since he married their grandmother.

Meanwhile, Sokka walked up to the second man and bowed to him with the latter doing the same. "Master Piandao," said the boy. "It's good to see you, again."

"I agree," replied the old man. "I hope you've been practicing with your sword since we last met. You always want to keep your skills sharp because... you never know what the future might hold."

Aang and Toph went over to the third man to make their own conversation.

"I'm happy you decided to come with us, Bumi," said the Avatar.

"Think nothing of it, Aang," said the old man. "I may be the King of Omashu, but I'm also your friend and I'd do anything for you." Taking his gaze over the _Condor_, he added, "Plus, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ride on this contraption. Now _this_ is something made up by a mad genius." Bumi finished his comment by adding his wicked laughter.

"You sure have a weird taste in friends, Twinkle Toes," said Toph.

Iroh joined the fourth man and said, "Jeong Jeong, I hope you're ready to face off against your comrades."

"I am ready," said Jeong Jeong. "This battle is to liberate my homeland and to make sure it will be the peaceful nation that the Fire Lord had made it out to be, and I won't let my own feelings get in the way."

Aerrow looked around to see all the people who had gathered to be a part of this battle. They all had their own reasons for joining and he could see they were definitely skilled. Radarr had hopped onto the boy's shoulders just as the Sky Knight turned his attention to the Avatar.

"Well Aang," said Aerrow, "this is definitely a group of determined people."

"They sure are..." Aang said with a smile. "Now all that's left to do is to hope for the best."

Suddenly, everyone froze as they heard some footsteps amongst the shadows. Thinking instinctively, the Storm Hawks all drew their weapons while the benders got into their stances. The darkness wasn't helping anyone since nobody could see from where the noise was coming.

"Whoever's out there," shouted Finn, "get ready for a whoopin' from the Finnster!" The remark from the sharpshooter only made Piper roll her eyes and slap her forehead in embarrassment.

Katara then realised that the full moon was out, so she could use it to her advantage. Closing her eyes, she set herself into a state of deep concentration. She then moved her hands around as if to perform her waterbending. The footsteps then echoed once more, and Katara shot open her eyes. The girl extended her arms, and it was followed by a shout in fear. Moving her arms back, Katara had brought out a lone Talon that was hiding in the shadows.

The Storm Hawks all had their mouths agape to see Katara perform a feat like this. The awkward moment was broken as the Talon was forcefully brought before the group. The Talon tried to struggle from the unseen force holding him down but there was nothing he could do as Katara used her bending arts on his own blood.

"What are you doing here?!" Aerrow demanded, pointing one of his lit daggers at the Talon.

"I was... only sent here... t-to spy on you!" the Talon replied with fear in his voice.

"Big mistake, pal!" said Sokka.

"So, what are we gonna do with him?" asked Ty Lee.

Thinking of an idea, Aerrow came forward and got close to the Talon's face. Radarr growled in anger at the Cyclonian and bared his teeth, making the situation tenser for the captured lackey.

The Sky Knight looked at the horrified Talon and said, "You can tell Cyclonis that we're ready for anything she throws our way! We will defend this world, and we will take her and the rest of her crew back with us to Atmos!"

Aerrow took a step back to allow Junko to come in with a sinister grin. The Wallop had already activated his Knuckle Busters, which meant he was going to use them on the Talon.

"Oh no!" the Talon said with a shocked expression.

Junko yelled as he pulled back his fist and punched upward, sending the Talon screaming as he soared over the gate. After the Cyclonian had crashed to the ground, everyone watched a while later to see a Switchblade take off through the skies.

"I hope what you said comes true," said Piper.

"Me too, Piper," Aerrow admitted, "Me, too."

The Sky Knight took his own words in thought as he hoped the outcome of tomorrow's battle would work in favour not just for the sake of his team, but also for the sake of everyone in this world who were unwillingly forced into this conflict.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Phew, now _that_ was an amazing chapter! I can't believe how many characters I was able to work into it.

Finn: Well you better finish this story soon, because it's getting crowded in here!

Aerrow: Hey, don't you know that you can't rush creativity?

Dark Ace: What's wrong? Are you trying to avoid me because you know I'll beat you?

Aerrow: You wish! I'm gonna smack you around so hard that you'll tremble in fear at my name!

BlueTiger321: Enough already! It's time I wrapped this up. So, anyway folks, stay tuned because the epic battle is coming in the next chapter. Until next time...

Finn: Read and review!


	12. Chapter 12: The War of Two Worlds

Chapter 12: The War of Two Worlds

BlueTiger321: Okay, folks! Here's the climactic battle I'm sure most of you have been waiting to see! What will happen when the powers of two worlds clash together? Read on and find out. Enjoy!

Dawn had now come to usher in a new day. With it came the impending notion for battle. Inside the Earth Kingdom palace, all the soldiers were preparing themselves with the necessary items to get ready for combat. They all knew what they must set out to do for the people they were sworn to protect.

The rest of the warriors who joined their efforts for this battle were also getting ready. The Waterbenders had set off to their designated spot to give themselves the advantage against the approaching army while the Kyoshi Warriors had donned their armour and war paint.

Aang was now helping Appa wear his armour with the help from Earth Kingdom soldiers. The sky bison grunted softly as his owner kept him calm while the soldiers affixed the armour to his body. Appa was now wearing dark red-coloured armour with gold trim that covered his legs, body and head. The helmet was given sufficient space for the mighty creature to see and breathe as well as two holes to allow his horns to stick out without obstruction. Aang smiled while looking at his animal companion, knowing he would be protected well enough through this battle.

Meanwhile, Sokka and the other Water Tribe warriors were all donning the battle gear traditional to their nation. All of them wore clothed shoulder pads that contained a silver moon pattern placed over the front, indicating their nation's power was guided by the moon. Sokka had almost placed his helmet – a silver piece in the shape of a wolf's head – onto his head, but then decided to carry it in his arms as he headed off to check on the rest of his friends.

All over the palace, the Water Tribe boy saw Earth Kingdom soldiers rush off to their ordered locations. The exit was just up ahead so he quickened his pace.

Sokka looked out onto the courtyard to see the rest of his friends preparing themselves in their own fashion. His first stop was to join his sister, and she was busy doing some waterbending techniques with Pakku. The old man waved his hands forward along with Katara while they moved a large portion of water in mid-air.

"Fantastic work," said Pakku. "You're skills are becoming more solid every time you use them."

Katara smiled at the compliment. "Thank you," she said. The session ended when Katara moved the water into her carrier before fastening it shut.

"Hey Katara," said Sokka. "I was just about to check on the others. You wanna come with me?"

As if to ask permission, the girl looked at her step-grandfather who gave a slight nod.

"Go on," said Pakku. "I need to be with my fellow members, anyway."

Katara then bowed in respect to her master, and walked away with her brother. The next stop was to see Toph, and she was busy practicing with Haru and Tyro. The two men were facing the girl on both her sides. Suddenly, the father and son both lifted their arms to each raise a boulder in front of them. The girl waited patiently for the right moment while smiling to herself, not letting the others know about what she planned to do. Haru and Tyro hurled their boulders towards Toph, but the girl responded by grabbing the boulders with her hands. Grunting loudly, the blind girl managed to push the boulders away and sent them back to the ones controlling them. Two walls of earth rose up just in time in front of both men before the boulders got close to crushing their bodies. Both the father and son panted as they had escaped from a near-fatal encounter.

"Here's some advice," said Toph, "you gotta make sure your enemy isn't prepared for your attack or else you'll be in for a big surprise."

"Duly noted," said Haru, wiping some sweat from his brow.

After seeing the training exercise, Sokka walked up to Toph gently and asked, "Hey Toph, if you're not too busy trying to maim someone, why don't we go see how everyone else is doing?"

The blind girl smiled and said, "Sure. I could use a break..."

With that, the group of three walked off to find another of their friends. The next pair they saw were Zuko and Mai. The Fire Lord and his girlfriend were busy talking to each other. Sokka and Katara could tell it was serious as Zuko looked passionately into Mai's eyes.

"Are you sure you want to be out there?" said Zuko.

"Yes," replied Mai. "I'm just as good a fighter as everyone else, and I'll be there with you every step of the way. Why do you worry about me so much?"

"Because out there is dangerous. You could get hurt... and there's the possibility that I won't be there to save you."

"Why can't you understand that I'm able to take care of myself?" Mai was so hurt by Zuko's words that she turned her face away from his.

The Fire Lord gently turned her head back and said, "I do know you can take care of yourself. I'm only saying this because you mean everything to me. Being the leader of an entire kingdom would mean nothing if I didn't have someone special by my side.

"I'm not saying that I don't want you to take part in this battle because I know you're a great fighter; I'm only saying this because I want you to be sure that you're doing this for the right reasons."

"I am, Zuko. I'm doing this because I want to stop Azula. I'm doing this because I want to save my homeland from her tyranny. But most of all, I'm doing this... because I want to protect you."

Mai then reached up to Zuko and gave him a passionate kiss on his lips. The Fire Lord accepted the kiss and then did the same to the girl. Sokka and Katara looked on with happy expressions when they saw the two share a touching moment.

Zuko broke himself away and said, "Okay. You've convinced me."

The moment was broken when Sokka made himself known to the two of them. "Hey Zuko," he said. "Let's go see how the others are doing."

The Fire Lord nodded and walked off, leaving Mai all by herself. In her heart, she knew this is what she wanted and she was going to prove once and for all to the boy she loved that she was strong.

As the group continued walking through the courtyard, they spotted Aang riding on Appa while Momo flew along with them. The boy Avatar didn't need to be asked to join his friends since he was happy to go anywhere with them. Now that the group was back together, they all headed off to the _Condor_.

The ship lay by itself with the ramp leading up the middle. Aang jumped off Appa to join with the others into the Storm Hawks' vessel. Once inside, they all walked into the hangar bay since they figured that's where everyone would be. Their guess proved true as the Storm Hawks were there with the Mechanist busily tinkering with their Skimmers. Aerrow, Finn and Junko were already wearing their armour so they would be ready the instant the fighting began.

"Hey everyone," said Aang.

Every member of the Sky Knight squadron turned around when they heard the greeting.

"Hey Aang," said Aerrow. "How are you doing?"

"We're all fine. We're just here to check on how you're all doing."

Aerrow took in a deep breath and said, "We're getting prepared just like everyone else. But to be honest, I was kind of hoping it would never come to this."

"Yeah," said Finn. "The Cyclonians teaming up with some other bad dudes is never a good thing."

"You're not the only ones," added Aang. "I don't like resorting to violence either, but this is for the good of everyone in our world. And as the Avatar, I have to maintain the balance."

At that moment, the Mechanist had stood up after he was finished with his work. Looking at the Sky Knight, he said, "Well... it took a while, but I've managed to understand the mechanisms of your rides. I've made some improvements to them so you all should be able to fly with better precision and manoeuvrability."

"Awesome!" said Finn. "I can't wait to take mine for a spin!"

"It's too bad that you couldn't put in the bigger cup holders I asked for," said Junko.

"Thank you for your help," said Aerrow.

The Mechanist wiped some grime off his protective sheet and said, "I would've made some modifications to your ship as well, but the green fellow wouldn't allow me to do anything."

Stork walked up to the man and pointed one of his fingers in his face. "I've already said it to you," he explained, "the _Condor_ is perfect just the way she is! Anybody who messes with my ship will pay the ultimate price!"

Everyone then looked at Stork oddly, thinking he was mad for what he said.

Shaking off the feeling, Zuko said, "Well then, let's all head out and get ready."

Aerrow was about to say something else when Piper ran in while carrying a book in her arms. "Guys, you've gotta see this!" she shouted in excitement.

"What did you find, Piper?" asked Katara.

The navigator leafed through the book to find the right section, saying, "Okay, I was checking my books for any kind of hint as to why crystals and other things from Atmos are here... and that's when I found this."

Piper showed everyone what she meant, and all her teammates and friends looked to see what was in the book.

"Oh sure," Toph said sarcastically, "rub it in the face of the blind girl."

Piper felt a little embarrassed for forgetting Toph's condition, but still she displayed the contents of the book. There on one page were illustrations of Atmos with terras spread out and people on ancient Skimmers flying through the skies. On the other page was something different: illustrations of buildings that looked more like the ones found in this world as well as people forming the four elements around their hands.

"Dude, is this for real?" said Finn.

"I don't believe this!" said Aerrow.

"What does it mean?" asked Sokka.

Piper closed the book and replied, "Well, some Atmosian philosophers believe that our two worlds are actually parallel to each other. Before our time, the people of Atmos and this world would often travel back and forth between each world as if it was common."

"That's unbelievable," said Zuko.

"But I don't get it," said Aerrow. "Dimension stones are supposed to be rare, so how were they able to do that?"

"That's what I thought too," said Piper, "so I kept on reading and found out that dimension stones were a lot more common back then. But then the leaders of Atmos decreed that too much interference between the two worlds would result in an unstable balance. All the dimension stones were ordered to be destroyed so our worlds could return to their normal ways... or at least, that's what the book says."

"...Until Cyclonis managed to find a dimension stone," Aerrow said. Radarr looked up at the boy and chirped worriedly.

"So our worlds are joined to each other?" said Aang. "That's amazing!"

"I know," said Piper. "So in theory, if we use the dimension stone, it should take us back to Atmos."

"That's good to know, Piper," said Aerrow. "First, we have to win this battle so this world will be safe from the Cyclonians and Azula."

Everyone in the _Condor_ was about to praise the good news when a loud noise was heard coming from outside the ship. They all saw it was an Earth Kingdom soldier bellowing on a horn. Upon hearing the sound, every troop outside immediately mobilised for knowing what the sound meant.

"Azula's troops are approaching," said Aang. "We have to get ready!"

The Avatar was about to leave with his friends, but he then turned to the Storm Hawks and said, "Before we go, I just want you to know that no matter what happens, it was a real pleasure that we got to know all of you." Aang's friends nodded in response to what he said, letting the Sky Knight squadron know they were agreeing with his statement.

Aerrow smiled along with his team and said, "The same goes for us, too."

The Avatar's group smiled in return, and so they left the _Condor_ with the Storm Hawks onboard. Once outside, the ramp closed up and the Mechanist left to be with his son while Aang and his friends climbed up on Appa's back.

The Avatar sat on his sky bison's neck and took hold of the reins. "Appa, yip yip!" he said.

Appa rose into the air. It proved simple for him even with the armour covering his body.

Aerrow looked out to see his new friends were within a safe distance. Turning to his helmsman, he said, "Stork, take us up!"

The Merb nodded and pulled a lever near the helm; activating the ship's engines and making it rise into the air as well.

Both the ship and the sky bison flew out over the city until they had gotten to the outer wall. Aang had made Appa descend to be with the ground forces while the Storm Hawks' ship hovered over the wall. The sky bison landed, and everyone jumped off him except for Aang. The forces on the ground were mainly the Earth Kingdom soldiers but they also contained everyone Aang had recruited the night before. Sokka and Katara had located their father along with the other Water Tribe warriors so they walked over to them.

Zuko got out in front of everyone, and what he saw in the distance made him feel as though time was standing still. Marching forward were the Fire Nation soldiers all divided into large groups. Each group was being led by a high-ranked soldier riding on a komodo rhino, and they all kept their units in single file. The soldiers were also accompanied by the giant tanks and trebuchets unique to the Fire Nation, which meant the battle was now more serious with the added weaponry.

What had Zuko worried the most was the Fire Nation war balloons that were sailing through the sky along with the Cyclonian battle cruiser. The giant airship was an eyesore for everyone on the ground, and the Talons were all flying out of it on their Switchblades. Joined with the Talons were Master Cyclonis's commanders – the Dark Ace, Ravess and Snipe – and the Raptors.

Aerrow looked out from the _Condor_ and narrowed his eyes in anger at seeing the Dark Ace. He had a personal vendetta against the elite Talon, and he would see to it that it was fulfilled.

"Okay guys," said Aerrow, "just like we planned."

The command was given, and Aerrow headed down to the hangar bay with Piper and Radarr. Finn and Junko stayed on the bridge and headed for the blasters on the side. With the weapons module having been repaired, the _Condor_ could now unleash its fury.

Back on the ground, a lone figure stepped out from the Fire Nation soldiers. Everyone immediately got on their guard upon seeing this. All the allied forces looked with rage in their eyes when they saw Azula coming towards them in dressed in her black armour, but not instigating an attack.

The wicked girl gave everyone a peaceful smile and spoke in a calm manner. "Well," she said, "I see that you've all gathered in a great mass."

"That's right, Azula!" shouted Zuko. "All these people are here to put an end to your reign!"

Azula wasn't offended by the comment. Waving her hand, she said, "Oh, that's so touching. You've all come to try and stop the Fire Lord from bringing the world under her rule... but you know it's only pointless."

"You don't deserve to be called the Fire Lord!" said Aang. "Zuko was trying to re-build the image of the Fire Nation, and you take that away from him! But he's still able to show us all that his kingdom is no longer one that breeds destruction and violence! That makes Zuko a better Fire Lord than you will ever be!"

All of Aang's friends cheered after he gave his speech, making him feel proud for standing up for Zuko.

Taking in a deep breath, Azula said, "I'll not waste any more time, so I'll give you an option: you can surrender and accept my ruling, or I will decimate everyone until I stand as the victor."

Upon being given that choice, Katara stepped forward with Sokka after he placed the helmet on his head.

"We will _never_ bow down to a tyrant like you, Azula!" said Katara.

"Everyone here is fighting for freedom," said Sokka, "and we won't stop until our freedom is secure!"

Azula had gotten her answer, and so she shot out her hands and shouted, "Destroy them!"

All the Fire Nation soldiers then charged into battle while the Avatar's forces all did the same.

High in the sky, the Cyclonians all flew off to forcefully aid the Fire Nation. Once the battle had commenced, Aerrow and Piper flew out of the hangar bay with the Sky Knight taking the lead.

A group of Talons was coming to the _Condor_ and they all fired off firebolt pulses. Aerrow hoped onto his Skimmer's wings while Radarr took the controls. Bringing his blades together, the Sky Knight unleashed a long wave of blue energy to dissipate the pulses and knock the Talons several feet away.

Meanwhile, Finn and Junko had gotten their blasters out and fired away at the other Talons. Both the marksman and the Wallop shouted as they fired the large blue shots, and quickly dispatched many Talons.

Back on the ground, all the Firebenders on Azula's side rushed in and launched a wave of fire. The attack was blocked as the Earthbenders retaliated with a large stone wall. Azula's forces were prepared for this so they launched the giant projectiles from their trebuchets. The fireballs soared through the air over the wall and came back down onto the allied forces. Aang, Toph and King Bumi came through at the last moment by raising stalagmites to counter the incoming attacks.

The stone wall didn't last long as the Fire Nation tanks rolled right through it, causing the allied forces to scatter. Now the Fire Nation soldiers were free to advance and they quickly charged.

The fight for survival had now begun as all warriors on both sides fought against each other. A tank was rolling in, but Toph got up in front of it and grunted as she caught it with her hands. The armoured vehicle tried to move forward but to no avail. The blind girl then moved her hands to her right and caused the tank to flip onto its side, making it useless.

More Fire Nation troops charged in, even though some of them were not Firebenders. Those ones had weapons drawn and were ready to use them. Hakoda let out a battle cry as he led his fellow warriors, along with his son, to fight the enemy. The sound of steel clanging could be heard as the weapons clashed. Sokka held his own with the help of his sword training from Piandao. Every time a sword came for him, he countered it with his own. As he fought, the boy saw his master using the same sword fighting against other soldiers, making him feel proud of what he had learned.

Katara brought water out from her carrier, forming a large vortex high above her head. She then made it swirl around her body just as Firebenders were about to attack her. The flames were all extinguished as they hit the water. In the confusion, Ty Lee leapt behind the soldiers and used her chi blocking moves on each of them. The soldiers all cried out in pain as their limbs were rendered useless. More soldiers came to their assistance, but the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors had come in to even the odds. In a brilliant display, Suki and her teammates had taken down the soldiers with a flurry of punches and kicks.

Iroh and Jeong Jeong had created their own wave of fire, and it blazed its way into the oncoming soldiers. The Firebenders shouted as they nearly escaped a fiery doom. When the blaze subsided, the soldiers got back on their feet and sent off their own flames. The two master Firebenders easily evaded the attacks since they knew everything about their art. Jumping up into the air, Jeong Jeong unleashed multiple shots from his fists and feet while Iroh remarkably released his fire from his mouth, which made him seem like a raging dragon. The soldiers had taken the blows and straggled to avoid further torture.

Zuko only had one person he wanted to fight – his sister. The Fire Lord cried out in fury as he sent off flames from his fists in an attempt to strike Azula. The girl took advantage of Zuko's blind rage by dodging each attack. Changing his strategy, Zuko swept his leg down while shooting a flame, but Azula jumped up and came down with her leg to shoot a line of fire. Zuko dodged in time but was left defenceless on the ground and watched as his sister came in closer. Thinking she would have the final blow, Azula raised her palm to release her flame but it was knocked aside when a stiletto hit her arm. There she saw the blade embedded in her pad and knew exactly who was responsible. Mai came rushing in while throwing more blades into Azula who countered them with a fire blast.

Zuko got up and looked at Mai, thinking he was now glad to let her join the battle. His thoughts came back to the task at hand when Azula came charging in again.

Back in the air, more Talons were flying about over Ba Sing Se to try and get away from the Storm Hawks. What they didn't know was that the Waterbenders had formed together in a group led by Pakku at Lake Laogai. On his command, the Waterbending Master raised his hand and his followers had made the water from the lake rise into the air. The Talons were unaware of this, so they all screamed as the water had sent them higher into the sky.

The Raptors were not too far from the attack and they all looked with panicked expressions. Lugey then screamed in fright as a blue and white mask mysteriously landed in front of his face. The portly Raptor took it off before he could crash.

"Lugey," shouted Repton, "this is no time to play Dress-Up!"

"Yes, boss," replied Lugey.

All the Raptors turned to see the _Condor_ advancing on them so they scattered on Repton's command.

Aerrow and Piper fought gallantly against the group of Talons, and everything seemed to be going well for them. It all changed the instant Aerrow saw Dark Ace, Ravess and Snipe flying up to them.

Laughing maniacally, Dark Ace said, "I'm afraid you won't be saving the day this time, Storm Hawks!"

"Oh yeah?" said Aerrow. "What makes you so sure?"

"Because unlike you, we don't have to worry about our safety!"

At that moment, the Cyclonian battle cruiser came in and fired off the giant firebolt pulses from its blasters. Aerrow and Piper could only watch as the pulses headed straight towards the ground.

Hakoda looked up and saw the incoming aerial attacks. "Scramble!" he shouted in desperation.

All the allied forces then saw the large projectiles crash into the ground, causing everyone to scream in fright. The attacks had created large craters in the ground and knocked away various Earth Kingdom soldiers. Sokka and Katara were unlucky enough to be near two of the shots, and they were thrown back by the shockwaves.

The aerial bombardment didn't stop as the Fire Nation war balloons came in after the attack. Fire Nation soldiers all looked down and unleashed their flames on the ground forces, forcing them to fall back. Now Azula's forces were free to advance.

Aerrow looked down and his face was sent into anguish. His friends were in trouble and he had to help them, but he and Piper both had their own troubles in the air. The Sky Knight then saw the Talon commanders flying towards them with their weapons drawn. Aerrow would have to deal with them and hope his friends could manage on their own.

The Dark Ace leapt onto the front of his Switchblade with his sword in hand. Aerrow did the same, letting Radarr take the controls. The elite Talon was now covered in a red aura while the boy was covered in blue. They both leapt into the air as they unleashed their special moves. Both Aerrow's Lightning Claw and Dark Ace's Lightning Rage soared into each other and created an explosion of light and crystal energy.

Piper flew her Heliscooter away while her eyes were open with fear. Behind her, she saw Ravess and Snipe chasing her. Both Talon commanders had the strength in numbers against the navigator. Ravess sent off three of her arrows while Snipe fired a pulse from his mace. Piper had managed to evade both attacks, but she knew her luck would change. Her suspicion proved true as the Raptors were now blocking her escape. The girl could only stop her Heliscooter from crashing into the Bone Wings, and it stayed there until her pursuers had blocked off her other escape. Piper was now facing off against six attackers, and they all circled around her on their rides.

"Too bad for you, girlie!" said Spitz.

"Aw, what's wrong?" Snipe taunted. "...The brave Sky Knight not here to help you?"

"No more games!" said Ravess as she taut her bow with an arrow. "It's time we finish this!"

Piper could only wait for the attack to approach. Ravess narrowed her eyes in delight as she thought she would finally be able to take down a Storm Hawk. That all changed when she felt her Switchblade rock, forcing her to miss her target. Piper looked to see one of the thrusters on Ravess's ride bellow smoke like it had been hit with something. Everyone then heard a cry of joy coming above them and saw Finn and Junko flying in on their Skimmers. The sharpshooter held his crossbow in his arms, which meant he fired the shot at Ravess.

"Here comes the cavalry!" Finn shouted confidently.

Junko then brought out two missiles from underneath one of the wings on his Skimmer. After pressing a button, the projectiles soared and struck Snipe and Ravess. Both Talon commanders then fled as their rides shed smoke and sparks.

Repton snarled at the approaching Storm Hawks and soon got out his boomerang. His plan for attack was halted when he felt his ride rock back and forth. He looked to see Piper smirking while holding out a crystal in each hand. The navigator held up a wind stone to blow away the Raptors in a powerful gust, making them scream. Piper was grateful that she found these crystals underneath Ba Sing Se as they had become useful for this battle.

Aang flew around on Appa and watched as his friends were not faring well against Azula's army. The war balloons had proven to be an effective tactic and there was nothing they could do while fire continued to rain down on them. The Avatar then jumped into the air while forming his staff into the glider. Using his airbending, Aang soared into a nearby cloud to gather up its water. As Aang glided through the air, water swirled around him as he headed for the war balloons.

The Firebenders in the balloons kept unleashing their attacks unaware that someone was getting closer to them. One soldier looked up to see Aang coming in and he tried to warn his fellow soldiers, but it was too late. Aang fired the water surrounding him and it applied enough force to one of the balloons that it knocked into another one. Aang continued his strategy by bending the water to slice through the balloons, causing them to crash to the ground. Eventually, all the balloons had been destroyed and it gave the allied forces the upper hand. Now they could press forward on the Fire Nation soldiers.

Sokka and Katara looked up to see Aang smile down upon them as he had given them the chance to keep up with their efforts.

Meanwhile, Aerrow continued his fight with the Dark Ace. As he flew on his Skimmer, the elite Talon kept sending firebolt pulses from his sword. Much to his chagrin, Dark Ace could see Aerrow was easily avoiding the shots and it made him more frustrated.

Aerrow knew the reason why none of Dark Ace's attacks were hitting: it was because his Skimmer had been modified before the battle by the Mechanist. The Sky Knight was now truly thankful for the upgrade. Swinging his ride around, Aerrow grabbed one of his daggers and flew straight for Dark Ace who clashed at it with his sword.

Zuko and Azula were still locked in mortal combat. As they fought, Azula could see her forces were now receding. She contemplated her strategies and realised the Cyclonians had their own airship. A smile crept onto her lips as she now had another plan forming in her head.

Azula pushed away Zuko with a big jet of flame, causing the Fire Lord to block with his own flame at the last second. Zuko was left on the ground once more and recovered quickly to fight again. He expected another assault from his sister but it never came as he saw Azula propel herself into the air using her firebending. Large flames shot out from her palms and she landed in the seat of a passing Talon. The Cyclonian soldier looked back to see Azula sitting there with a flame forming in her hand.

"Fly!" Azula demanded.

The Talon gasped and nodded his head nervously as he was forced to obey. They both took off into the sky and headed for the Cyclonian battle cruiser.

The Talon commanders and the Raptors saw what Azula was doing. Dark Ace had the suspicion she was up to no good.

"Quickly, back to the ship!" shouted Dark Ace. The others had all complied with him as they all flew back to the airship.

Piper got up front of her fellow Storm Hawks. Looking past all the action, she could see Zuko's sister flying up to the battle cruiser. "Aerrow," she said, "Azula's getting away!"

"What do ya think she could be planning?" Junko wondered.

"I don't know," replied Aerrow, "but it can't be good. We have to stop her!"

With that, the Storm Hawks all flew off to go after Azula. Their friends on the ground could take care of themselves, so now the Sky Knight squadron would deal with both the Cyclonians and Azula in their stronghold.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Holy moly! Now was that an intense battle or what?!

Aang: It was amazing!

Katara: I was on the edge of my seat!

Aerrow: I almost thought I was gonna have a heart attack!

Junko: I'm so scared! Somebody hold me! *grabs onto Aang, Katara and Aerrow*

Aang, Katara and Aerrow: Junko, you're... crushing... us!

Junko: Oh, sorry!

BlueTiger321: Well folks, another gripping chapter is coming next so stay tuned! Until next time...

Junko: Read and review!

Aang, Katara and Aerrow: *gasping for air*


	13. Chapter 13: Confrontation

Chapter 13: Confrontation

BlueTiger321: So now we're at the final battle! Who will emerge as the victor, the Storm Hawks and the Gaang or Azula and the Cyclonians? I'll let you all see for yourselves!

Azula looked forward while she rode with the Talon. The Cyclonian battle cruiser was just up ahead. Soon, she would get her opportunity to set her backup plan into motion. The hangar bay door had just opened, and the wicked girl smiled as she was almost there.

Azula had then turned her back to see that Master Cyclonis's commanders were gaining on her, and they all had stern looks on their faces. There was the possibility they were catching on to her plan but she would deal with them later.

What had her more surprised was to see that the Storm Hawks were flying their way. To Azula, they were nothing more than pests but they were not her concern at the moment.

"Faster!" shouted Azula.

With that, the Talon sped his ride into the airship while the Cyclonians and Raptors followed them.

Aerrow set his face into determination as he would not let this battle drag out any longer.

"Come on, guys! Let's finish this!" shouted the Sky Knight.

Aerrow's teammates all let out cries as they sped towards the ship. The doors were soon closing so they would have to work fast. Narrowing their eyes, the Storm Hawks had all accelerated their Skimmers into the hangar bay before the doors were shut. Once inside, Aerrow and his team converted their Skimmers into vehicle mode and landed softly on the metal floor. The Talon commanders and the Raptors were not happy to see the Storm Hawks, and so both sides drew their weapons.

"That's as far as you go!" said Dark Ace.

"A Sky Knight squadron doesn't take orders from Cyclonian scum!" said Aerrow.

"Then we'll just have to beat it into you!"

The Dark Ace and his fellow fighters rushed on the Storm Hawks, and so another battle had commenced. Aerrow clashed blades once again with Dark Ace. Neither one of them were backing down now that they were so close to victory.

Off to the side, the boy Sky Knight could see that Piper faced against Repton and the latter swung his boomerang to no avail as the navigator blocked the projectile with her staff. Finn was trading blows with Ravess, and the sharpshooter was forced to duck and cover while screaming cowardly against the Talon's volley of arrows. Junko and Snipe had gotten into a fight where the Talon kept swinging his mace and the Wallop tried to land a hit with his fists.

Radarr was also involved in the fight, and he was surrounded by Repton's brothers. Hoerk looked down at him and laughed, thinking this was going to be an easy win. The co-pilot only chirped while smirking as an idea formed in his head. Lugey was the first to attack, so Radarr jumped up before a sword struck him and ended up landing on Spitz's head. Afterwards, he blew a raspberry at the portly Raptor to taunt him.

"Duh... I got him!" said Lugey.

"No, wait!" cried Spitz.

It was too late. Lugey swung his sword just as Radarr jumped out of the way in time. The result was that the portly Raptor accidentally hit his brother with his sword, causing him to fall down and writhe in agony. Next, Radarr jumped right in front of Hoerk, and Lugey once again swung his sword. The Raptor could only scream in fright as the sword from his brother struck him and caused him to fall down as well while Radarr escaped unharmed.

Lugey looked down at Hoerk and Spitz and saw them sprawled on the floor while they both saw stars spinning around their heads. "Oops," he said. "Sorry, guys."

Radarr chirped and ran on all fours away from the Raptors.

As the fighting dragged on, Azula looked out and saw no one was paying attention to her. This was now her opportunity to sneak by them undetected. Crouching, she slowly made her way over to a nearby exit.

Aerrow locked his daggers with Dark Ace's sword. As the two of them pushed against each other, the Sky Knight looked to see Azula trying to get away, but he wouldn't have that. The fight with the Dark Ace would have to wait, so Aerrow stepped back and ran to intercept the wicked girl.

Azula was almost at the doorway when a blue pulse was struck right in front of her. Turning around, she found that Aerrow fired the shot to prevent her escape.

"You have nowhere to go, Azula!" said Aerrow.

Azula was forced to stand and smile. Laughing to herself, she said, "I have to disagree. I intend on going somewhere important."

Everyone had stopped their fighting as they all turned around to face Azula. They all heard what she said and were curious by what it meant.

"What are you talking about?" said Repton.

"Exactly why did you fly into the ship?" said Ravess.

"It's simple," said Azula. "I'll have this ship fly over Ba Sing Se and head straight for the palace. That way, I can hold the Earth King hostage and the entire kingdom will be forced to finally obey me."

"That's actually a pretty good plan," said Finn.

"Not helping, Finn!" Piper said through clenched teeth.

Dark Ace scoffed at Azula's plan, saying, "And what makes you think we'll be doing that?"

"Aren't you forgetting?" said Azula. "I have something very special that you need." The self-acclaimed Fire Lord then brought out the dimension stone for all to see.

The Storm Hawks were quite surprised to see the stone was so close to them, and yet all they could do was stare at it in awe.

"The dimension stone!" said Piper.

"No wonder we couldn't find it," said Junko.

Snapping out of his gaze, Aerrow turned to Azula and said, "So _you_ have the dimension stone! Why do you need it? You don't have any use for it!"

"Quite the contrary," said Azula. "You see, I knew that my own forces wouldn't be enough to conquer this world, and so I managed to strike a deal with Cyclonis: she helps me become ruler over all the nations and I give this stone back to her.

"To be honest, I was going to destroy this thing once I was done with her, but then I thought why should my reign be only limited to one world? I could have Cyclonis use this stone to transport me and my subjects to your world where I will have domination over it as well. With two worlds bowing down to me, I will be the most infamous ruler in all of history!"

Azula's rant got both the Storm Hawks and the Cyclonians enraged. They all thought she was truly delusional for thinking up an insane plot. Azula finished by laughing maniacally, but it was interrupted when she was thrown to the ground. The fall had made the dimension stone slip out of her grasp and it made a ping noise as it hit the floor.

When Azula looked up, she saw Master Cyclonis standing in the doorway holding her staff out, which meant she fired the shot that knocked her down. She could see a furious look frozen on the Cyclonian ruler's face, but that didn't intimidate her as she stood on her feet.

"You really are a lunatic if you think your plan will work!" said Cyclonis. "Atmos is mine, and nobody – the Storm Hawks or you – is going to stop me!"

"I had a feeling it would come to this," said Azula. She followed up by letting a flame loose from both her palms.

Cyclonis didn't flinch, but merely held up her hand to block the incoming attack. The flames were then pushed back to Azula and she screamed as her own flames hit her armoured chest, pushing her back down to the floor.

Aerrow saw that now was their chance to grab the dimension stone. Scanning carefully, he found it a few feet to his left and slowly made his way towards it.

Master Cyclonis looked and saw the Sky Knight trying to grab the stone. Raising the fuchsia crystal on her staff, she released a red beam. Aerrow saw it coming and quickly jumped out of the way, and safely landed with his teammates.

"You're next, Storm Hawks!" said Cyclonis. Pointing to the Sky Knight squadron, she shouted, "Attack!"

Cyclonis's commanders were now joined with the Nightcrawlers. Aerrow wondered why the group of assassins wasn't in the fight, and it was obvious they couldn't take direct sunlight no matter how much their armour could be enhanced. Now the Storm Hawks were facing their enemies for the fate of this world and their own.

* * *

Back on the ground, the allied forces were still battling with the Fire Nation army. The Water Tribe warriors had managed to push back the ground troops, but they were still no match for the tanks and the trebuchets. Luckily, they had the help from the Earth Kingdom soldiers who intercepted each flaming projectile.

Aang and his friends continued to press on despite the ongoing fatigue they felt from battling numerous waves of soldiers. The boy Avatar swung his staff while on Appa and blew away the Talons coming in to attack.

Toph raised some earth to knock back some of Azula's soldiers while Katara moved water around to dissipate fire attacks while pushing them away.

Zuko had made his way to the heart of the oncoming wave. It felt awful for him to have to fight his own soldiers but he saw no other way to put an end to this fighting. Once at the spot, the Fire Lord had formed flames in his fists to get ready for another attack.

One of the soldiers looked at Zuko with a determined expression. Before the Fire Lord could do anything, the soldier turned to the others and said, "Now!"

The call was given, and so nearly every Fire Nation soldier turned around and started striking their own allies down with firebending. The soldiers near the tanks and trebuchets had thrown spherical objects at them and the ones controlling the devices were forced to jump out of the way as explosions were then heard, destroying the weaponry.

Aang set Appa down and was confused along with Zuko. The enemies were now fighting each other, and they wondered what had caused it.

Soon, the allied forces had started taking part in the fight again, but they made sure not to attack the Fire Nation soldiers that weren't fighting against them. Eventually, only a few Fire Nation soldiers on Azula's side were left standing and they were becoming surrounded by the allied forces.

Zuko walked up to the soldiers with Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph and Mai at his side.

One of the evil soldiers looked at his troops and said, "What are you doing?! You're supposed to be serving the Fire Lord!"

A soldier loyal to Zuko walked up and replied, "We _are_ serving the Fire Lord!" A smile crept onto Zuko's face when he saw that most of his own soldiers were still under his command.

All of Azula's soldiers had now seen they were outnumbered with some of their own ranks turning to the other side. The allied forces pressed onward to show they were ready to take the necessary measures should the battle continue. With no other option, the evil soldiers were forced to raise their hands to surrender.

Aang and his friends then looked up at the Talons. The Cyclonians all saw the Fire Nation had lost the battle, and they were now by themselves against the massive army.

One Talon looked at the others and said, "I think we oughta get back to Master Cyclonis."

The other Talons all nodded and flew their Switchblades back to the Cyclonian airship. Upon the retreat, the allied forces had all cheered at their victory.

"I can't believe we did it!" said Sokka.

"What'd you expect?" said Toph. "These guys were just a bunch of lightweights compared to us."

Katara looked up at the sky, hoping to find the Storm Hawks but there was no sight of them. "Hey, where are Aerrow and the others?" she wondered.

Zuko looked around to find the one person he was hoping he would defeat. "...And where's Azula?" he said.

Aang looked at the Cyclonian battle cruiser. A worried look slowly formed on his face as he thought his new friends were all by themselves in the ship, and it worried him even more that Azula would be there too.

"Guys," said Aang, "I think Azula's in that ship!"

"Do you think Aerrow and the others went after her?" said Sokka.

"They might have. If so, then we have to go help them!"

Iroh stepped out from the crowd to look at the Avatar and his friends. "Go help your friends," he said. "We'll stay here and clean up this refuse."

"Thanks, Uncle," said Zuko, smiling gratefully.

With that, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph and Zuko all hoped onto Appa with Momo flying in as well.

"Yip yip!" said Aang.

The group then flew up to the giant airship in hopes of reaching their friends in time while the allied forces watched them fly off to end this battle once and for all.

* * *

Aerrow backed away as his team was quickly being outnumbered. The Nightcrawlers had already formed around the Storm Hawks along with the Cyclonians and the Raptors. The only place where they could go was behind them, and it was sealed up with the giant doors.

In front of him, Aerrow saw smirks forming on his advancing foes. They had the Sky Knight squadron cornered. They all thought this was finally their moment to defeat the Storm Hawks and nothing could stand in their way.

"We're so dead!" Finn said in a faint voice.

"For once, I actually agree with you," said Cyclonis. She proceeded by pointing up her staff and making the fuchsia crystal shine. "Prepare to meet your makers!"

Before Cyclonis could do any further action, a rumbling was heard coming from outside the ship. The Storm Hawks and the Cyclonians wondered what was going on, and that's when they all saw the giant doors being forcefully opened. The sound of scraping metal was heard as the doors were bent to the sides, allowing the sunlight to enter the hangar bay. The Nightcrawlers in the vicinity of the light were forced to retreat before any further damage was done to them.

When the doors had created a large enough hole, everyone saw it was Toph standing up on Appa who had made the entrance. The sky bison flew through the hole and landed softly behind the Storm Hawks, and the Avatar's group touched down with determined looks on their faces.

Looking back at his new friends, Aerrow said, "Nice entrance."

"Now let's put an end to this!" said Aang. All his friends, old and new, then faced forward while readying their weapons or getting in their bending stances.

Cyclonis then grunted through her gritted teeth. More people coming to the Storm Hawks' aid was just an annoyance so they will be dealt with as well. "Get them!" she shouted.

The order then made all of Cyclonis's troops rush in to take out their enemies while Aerrow and his team did the same.

The group of Nightcrawlers had taken the initiative by firing shots at Appa. The armour the giant beast was wearing protected him from each hit, and he retaliated by making a huge growl and charging at the assassins. The Nightcrawlers were left battered and bruised as they were each stampeded by the sky bison.

Piper and Katara faced off against Repton. When the Raptor leader threw his boomerang, Katara caught it in mid-air using her Water Whip. Repton was left confused by his attack failing, and he was slow to notice Piper coming in to strike him with her staff. Repton ducked at the last second and tried to strike back using his claws and tail.

As the fight continued, Katara got the idea to throw the boomerang back at its wielder. Thinking quickly, Katara swung the boomerang back while Repton was distracted. Piper pushed back against the Raptor leader and she noticed the incoming projectile. She pointed to Repton's back while smiling, leaving Repton confused. He looked back and set his face into panic as he saw his own weapon coming at him. It left him no time to evade so he took the boomerang to his head and fell hard to the floor.

Piper looked at the downed foe and then turned back to Katara, saying, "You sure know how to hit 'em hard."

"It just comes naturally," replied Katara.

Finn was locked against Ravess again. The marksman had to take cover behind his Skimmer to avoid getting hit by the incoming arrows. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get a decent shot in since Ravess always countered with her own shots.

The Talon commander had now notched five arrows in her bow and sent them flying towards Finn, but that's when Aang jumped in and took out the arrows with a jet of flame. When the Avatar touched down to land, Ravess had a frustrated look on her face and was about to get more arrows ready when she saw four bolts coming her way. She managed to dodge three of them, but the fourth caught her in the arm and knocked the bow out of her hands.

Looking up angrily, she saw Finn blowing fake smoke from one of his pistol fingers. "Chicka-cha!" he said confidently.

Meanwhile, Junko pressed back against Snipe's mace. The burly Talon's strength forced the Wallop to grunt while preventing the weapon from reaching his body. Snipe could see he was beginning to wear down his opponent so he would only need to keep it up and he would win.

"What's the matter?" said Snipe, tauntingly. "Am I too much for you?"

Junko looked down to his right and smirked. "Nope," he replied. "I was just keepin' ya busy."

Snipe tried to figure out what Junko meant, and that's when he saw Toph by his feet. The blind girl gave a huge grin and then grabbed the metal floor under the burly man. She then pulled the metal up fast, causing Snipe to fly up to the top screaming.

Junko looked to see Snipe fly so fast that his body got stuck through the ceiling and his legs dangled around in an attempt to free himself. The Wallop could only laugh as he remembered Snipe getting stuck in a similar way back in the Forbidden City.

Sokka had pitted himself against Lugey, Hoerk and Spitz once again. All three Raptors then charged on the boy, so he took up his sword and clashed them against each of them one-by-one. No matter when each of Repton's brothers struck, Sokka blocked their swords with his own.

Eventually, all three of the Raptors attempted to overpower the boy, but that's when Momo and Radarr came in to Sokka's aid. The flying lemur and the co-pilot came in and bit down on Hoerk and Lugey's tails, causing them to stop and jump around yelling in pain and leaving Spitz by himself. Sokka saw this was his chance and so taking out his club, he knocked out each of the Raptors while they were distracted and left them unconscious.

"Don't mess with the mighty Sokka!" he said while sheathing his weapons.

Aerrow and the Dark Ace swung their blades around trying to incapacitate the other. Their fighting skills were on equal ground as neither one gained the advantage.

As the fighting continued, Azula regained consciousness and stumbled her way over to find the dimension stone lying on the floor. Now she would have her moment to put her plan into action, but then a lone figure stopped right in front of her – her own brother, Zuko.

"Azula, this is where it all ends!" shouted the Fire Lord.

A burst of flames then erupted from Zuko's fists, causing Azula to jump backwards. She was so close at achieving her goal and yet there were all these people trying to stop her. Her mind then seemed to be holding in all this frustration that it couldn't take any more. Azula cried out while unleashing her own flames that it nearly startled Zuko.

Before Zuko could begin his next assault, he and Azula were pushed back by some unseen force. Both siblings hit the wall and slid down after losing consciousness.

Master Cyclonis slowly walked up to pick up the dimension stone. A wicked smile formed on her lips as she finally had the one thing she needed in order to get back to the world she would rule.

Piper looked on and cried, "Look!"

All her friends stopped what they were doing to see Cyclonis hold up the dimension stone. Laughing out loud, the Cyclonian ruler said, "You lose, Storm Hawks! Now you'll be trapped in this wretched world for the rest of your lives!"

Finn took up his crossbow and said, "I don't think so!"

A bolt flew from Finn's weapon and headed straight for Cyclonis. The girl made a faint yawn and held up her hand, forcing the bolt to change its direction and head back to Finn. The blonde sharpshooter saw his own projectile coming back at him so he made a cowardly scream before the bolt hit him in the chest.

All around, Cyclonis saw the others trying to stop her. She knew it was a futile effort but she decided to humour these nuisances.

Katara blasted Cyclonis with water, but it was turned back on her by a snap of Cyclonis's fingers and formed into ice to trap the girl on the floor.

The next thing Cyclonis saw was Sokka rushing her with his sword. Pointing her staff, she fired a pink pulse to make the boy fly across the room until he crashed on the floor.

Piper came in swinging her staff above her head and bringing it down hard, but Cyclonis blocked it at the last second with her own staff. Junko was about to run in shouting while brandishing his Knuckle Busters. Cyclonis smirked as she held up her hand and release a wave of pink energy, sending Piper and Junko away from her screaming.

Aang and Toph were the next ones to try and stop her. The boy Avatar formed a small tornado around his hands while the blind girl lifted up a large sheet of metal. Cyclonis chuckled to herself as both attacks came at her, so she held out her staff and made the tornado and metal sheet stop in mid-air. Aang and Toph only gasped at their failed attacks, but Aang was more surprised as Cyclonis fused them together using her telekinetic ability. The metal sheet came back at them even faster as it was driven by the air. Toph tried to grab onto the sheet, but it was too late as both she and Aang were blasted back by its force.

The only one left to face Cyclonis was Aerrow, and he was joined by Radarr standing by his feet.

Bringing up his ignited daggers, the Sky Knight said, "You won't take me down, Cyclonis!"

"I don't have to," Cyclonis responded. "I've got someone else to do that for me."

Aerrow then cried in pain as he was hit in the back by a red pulse, dropping his daggers in the process. Radarr chirped in fright upon seeing his teammate being injured, and that fear turned to anger when he saw the Dark Ace standing there holding out his sword.

Aang had quickly recovered from his assault to see what was happening. All around, he saw his friends lying down on the ground after being defeated. What made matters worse was he saw Talons coming in to point their staves at Appa, forcing him against the wall. The boy had a saddened look on his face to see this display, but it changed when he closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

Meanwhile, Cyclonis held out the dimension stone once again while laughing as her Talon commanders and the Raptors joined her. In her mind, Cyclonis had thought she had finally won.

"The day is ours," said Cyclonis. "Let's throw out this trash and then return back to–"

The Cyclonian ruler stopped what she was saying when she noticed a glow coming out of nowhere. She turned around and saw its source to be Aang floating in mid-air, and he had just transitioned into the Avatar State.

Cyclonis and her commanders were left in shock and awe at what they were seeing while the Raptors looked on in fright since they knew what was going to happen.

Aang brought out his hands and a large gust of air surrounded the hangar bay, blowing away the Talons, the commanders and the Raptors, and knocking them against the wall. Cyclonis had managed to protect herself by forming a shield of pink energy around her body so she stood in place, but she was left stunned at the sheer power coming from the Avatar.

At that time, all of Aang's friends had recovered from their previous assaults and looked to see their friend handle the enemies by himself.

Cyclonis's eyes were wide in disbelief as she stared at Aang. "This... can't be happening!" she said.

All of a sudden, the entire airship began to shake and the alarms started to activate. The shock was so immense that Cyclonis lost her grip over the dimension stone and it rolled along the floor over to the hole Toph had made in the doors. The shaking had also caused Azula to awaken, and so she slipped away quietly amongst the confusion.

"What's going on?!" Cyclonis demanded.

Finn peered outside the doors. His face then showed excitement when he saw that the _Condor_ was firing off shots from its blasters at the battle cruiser. "All right, Stork!" he cried.

In the _Condor_, the Merb drove with a steadfast look in his eyes. "Look out Cyclonians," he said, "'cause here comes your worst nightmare!"

Back in the Cyclonian ship, the dimension stone had now rolled out the hole and Azula was the first one to react. Everyone then saw the wicked girl leap out of the ship and plummet down as she went after the stone. Aang, still maintaining the Avatar State, soon went after her.

"We've gotta get it before she does!" said Piper.

"Right," said Aerrow. "C'mon everyone, let's go!"

The Storm Hawks had returned to their rides and drove out of the hangar bay. They were soon joined by the rest of their friends riding on Appa.

"After them!" Cyclonis ordered.

The Talon commanders and the Raptors followed the order as they all got to their own rides to chase after the Storm Hawks. Cyclonis was going to make sure this job was done right so she got on her Switchblade and drove out of the hangar bay. It was now a race to see who would get the dimension stone.

Azula fell through the sky, and wind battered her face with every inch she got closer to the dimension stone. It was almost within reach so she stretched out her hand to grab it, but then something else caught her attention.

A glow came out of the corner of her eyes and there she saw Aang. Azula was frightened by the Avatar as she saw that all four elements were now orbiting around him.

Acting quickly, Azula grabbed the dimension stone and turned back to Aang, unleashing a jet of flame from her free hand. The Avatar blocked the attack with a slab of earth and countered using the stream of water he was controlling. The water hit Azula in her chest and sent her away a few feet. Azula recovered by bending fire from her feet to propel her forward again, but only to have Aang blast her with air.

The resulting attack made Azula throw the dimension stone upward, making her cry out in frustration. Rage soon formed in her eyes as she charged up lightning in her fingertips. In a desperate move, Azula was about to strike when Aang came up and grabbed Azula's arm to form the lightning through his body, making sure it didn't pass through his heart. The lightning was re-directed over the battlefield as everyone on the ground look on in awe.

Now that Aang was this close to Azula, he had managed to regain consciousness and touched his hand to her forehead. The instant he did that made it feel like time had come to a standstill. To the Avatar, both he and Azula were bathed in light; his being blue while Azula's was red. Gaining full control over the energy surrounding Azula's body, his own energy took hold of her. Aang could now see Azula was wrapped in the same blue light as he was, and that's when everything suddenly went back to normal.

Aang was now back to his original self while holding Azula in his arms. The boy then saw Appa swooping down to grab him. Both he and Azula landed safely in the saddle where his friends awaited him.

At that moment, Azula regain control over herself. "Now you will all perish!" she cried out.

Azula then shot out her hand, but then something felt odd to her – no flames were coming out from it. She tried it over and over again, but nothing happened. Aang and all his friends smiled at the wicked girl, knowing that her firebending had been taken away from her. She had now been given the same fate as her father.

"It's over, Azula," said Zuko. "I'm taking back what's rightfully mine."

"No!" said Azula. "This... this isn't real! I can't lose again!" She proceeded by trying to attack her brother, but was stopped when Katara caught her hands in a stream of water. It then turned to ice to form a pair of makeshift shackles.

Azula tried to squirm free but to no avail. After everything that she lost, she had no choice but to once again settle into a nervous breakdown. Zuko was forced to make her sit before she could fall off Appa.

"That's what you get for messing with us!" said Toph.

Sokka was about to say something else when he looked upward. "Hey, look!" he said while pointing.

There, everyone saw the dimension stone was falling towards them. What was more surprising was that the Storm Hawks and the Cyclonians were flying after it to see who would get it first.

Aang knew a way to help his friends. Standing up, he raised his hands to unleash a strong blast of air, which sent the dimension stone back up to Aerrow. The Sky Knight saw the incoming crystal and jumped from his Skimmer. Everyone riding Appa watched in amazement as they saw the Aerrow suddenly form a pair of wings from his back. Gliding carefully, Aerrow caught the dimension stone and made his way back to his ride, retracting the wings.

Master Cyclonis saw this and shouted, "I want that stone now!"

Aerrow saw the Cyclonians were now going to go after him. He thought now was the opportune moment to try and use it now that he, his teammates and his adversaries were all together.

Looking down at his new friends, the Sky Knight shouted, "Aang, go now! We'll take it from here!"

The boy Avatar knew to have faith in Aerrow so he took his advice and ordered Appa away from the scene. He, along with his friends, gave the Storm Hawks a salute as a last goodbye before they rode off into the sky.

Now that they were alone with the Cyclonians, the Storm Hawks had formed behind their leader while the _Condor_ came into view. Cyclonis, her commanders and the Raptors were now coming in after them.

Looking up at the battle cruiser, Aerrow then knew that's where it was going to happen. "Everyone, follow me!" he commanded.

The Sky Knight and his team soon took off after him. Cyclonis was now becoming more enraged that the Storm Hawks were just playing with her, so she and her troops were right behind the squadron.

Aerrow was almost at his destination when he noticed red pulses were flying right by him. He saw the Dark Ace firing off the shots from his sword.

"You won't be getting away this time, Aerrow!" the elite Talon shouted.

"I wasn't planning to," Aerrow revealed.

The Dark Ace and his master were left confused by what the Sky Knight said. They were even more perplexed when they saw the Storm Hawks suddenly stopping in front of the Cyclonian airship along with the _Condor_.

Aerrow looked at the dimension stone in his hands. _It's now or never_, he thought.

The red-haired boy proceeded by throwing the stone up into the air, leaving the Cyclonians to watch the spectacle. Aerrow then got up on his Skimmer while holding his weapons. His teammates all saw what he was doing so they sat back and smiled, waiting for what was coming next. Now the Sky Knight was glowing in a blue aura as he spiralled into the air and unleashed his Lightning Claw. The large blue pulse flew until it hit its mark – the falling dimension stone.

The crystal then floated in mid-air as it pulsed with energy. The Cyclonians could only look with shocked expressions to see the dimension stone perform its ability. Green energy soon erupted from the stone and bathed itself over the Storm Hawks, the Cyclonians, and the two ships.

Back on the ground, everyone covered their eyes as they saw the incredible sight. Aang and the rest of his friends were down there with everybody else and they all watched patiently for the next thing to happen.

All of a sudden, the green energy had dissipated. Everyone looked to see the two gigantic airships had disappeared along with everyone else in the sky.

Toph couldn't see what was going on so she asked, "So, what just happened?"

"They're gone," Zuko said calmly.

Tears formed around Katara's eyes as she would never see her friends again. "I can't believe it," she said. "They saved us all... and they're gone forever." She was soon comforted by her father and brother as they continued staring at the sky.

Aang stepped out from everyone else and looked on with a smile on his face. Bowing his head, he whispered, "Good luck, guys."

* * *

The Storm Hawks, the Cyclonians and the Raptors were now travelling through the green vortex they used to enter the other world. Everyone was now screaming as they sped through the swirling energy quickly while desperately clinging to their rides.

"Not this again!" Finn shouted.

"Were you expecting something better?!" cried Piper.

"Just hang on!" shouted Aerrow.

Everyone continued screaming until they all saw a white light at the end of the vortex.

* * *

A mass of green energy then expanded in a clear, blue sky. From within it sprang out everyone passing through the vortex. The Storm Hawks had all regained control over their rides while the Cyclonians and the Raptors did the same.

While they slowed down, no one had noticed the dimension stone was still among them and so it plummeted through the sky.

Cyclonis was the first one to regain her bearings and she saw the falling crystal. "No!" she cried and stretched out her hand.

It was a fruitless effort as the stone fell down with no one seeing it arrive in a desolate area covered with rock formations and many savage creatures. The dimension stone ended up falling into a large lake of lava where smoke arose around the spot where it landed. The crystal descended into the lava where it would never be used by anyone ever again.

Aerrow looked at his foes and noticed their anger. "Better luck next time," he said.

Cyclonis grunted in fury at the boy's direction. "You'll pay for that, Sky Knight!" she bellowed.

The Cyclonian ruler then brought her hand up to issue a charge, but what she saw next made her eyes open wide in terror. There standing behind the Storm Hawks were the other Sky Knight squadrons of Atmos gathered together: the Rex Guardians, the Rebel Ducks, the Absolute Zeroes, the Screaming Queens, the Third Degree Burners, the Buff Buzzards, and the Neck Deeps. Each member of every squad had a determined look as though they were all ready to take on the Cyclonians at any given moment.

Aerrow turned around to see his fellow Sky Knights were coming to his aid. Turning back to Cyclonis, he said, "I think you lose this round, Cyclonis."

Cyclonis had known that she couldn't win against this battle. Most of her troops were already battered and they wouldn't stand a chance against the other Sky Knight squadrons. More importantly, she knew of one important thing.

"Fall back," Cyclonis muttered.

"But Master," said Ravess, "what about the Storm Hawks?"

"We're back on Atmos. I say we leave it at that... for now." The Cyclonian ruler then turned her Switchblade around to retreat back into the battle cruiser.

All of Cyclonis's troops were forced to comply, so they all turned their rides around to head back to Cyclonia, except for the Dark Ace who stayed behind momentarily.

"Enjoy your moment, Storm Hawks..." the elite Talon said maliciously, "because it won't last forever!" The Dark Ace then caught up with the rest of his troops as they all disappeared into the clouds.

Aerrow and his teammates all looked on with smiles on their faces after acquiring a new victory over their enemies, but also gaining the knowledge that their new friends were safe.

* * *

The _Condor_ was once again soaring majestically through the skies of Atmos. After their run-in with the Cyclonians, Aerrow and his team explained to the other Sky Knight squadrons all the events they had witnessed and the existence of the other world connected to this one. Now the Storm Hawks were relaxing in their fabled ship after a hard-earned victory.

In the bridge, Stork piloted his precious ship and truly thankful to be back home. What really calmed the helmsman was seeing the Timepulse moving regularly again as it picked up the navigation signal.

Aerrow walked in to see all his teammates gathered together. Their latest experience was one they would never forget as it left them all with a great impact.

The Sky Knight decided to strike up a conversation so he said, "I've gotta say – I'm sure gonna miss everyone."

"Me, too," said Piper. "There was so much more I wanted to learn about their different cultures, and I wanted to visit every corner of their world. It would've been interesting to learn all there is to know."

"Well I'm just glad to be back here," said Stork. "Who knows what other dangerous things there were in that world? At least I know how to avoid the dangerous things here."

"The food wasn't bad," said Junko. "Hey, maybe I could try whipping up something just like what they had?"

Everyone else then cringed upon thinking about Junko's cooking, and they all thought it would be best if the Wallop didn't attempt to do something like that.

"Well you know what?" said Finn. "I think it would've been awesome if we tried to learn some of those cool bending thingy moves. The Cyclonians would be runnin' scared if they saw us doing that!"

The navigator then turned to her Sky Knight just as she saw Radarr jump up to the boy's shoulders. "Do you think we'll ever see them again?" she wondered.

"...Good question, Piper," replied Aerrow. "Maybe we will someday... if we all hope there's a way."

The _Condor_ then flew on through the sky as the Storm Hawks would head wherever someone in Atmos needed their help or for exploring another great adventure.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Ba Sing Se, all the participants of the battle were now standing in the courtyard of the Earth Kingdom palace. Right at the top of the mighty steps were the leaders of the nations. Zuko was now garbed in his royal robes while he wore his hair back into a small bun with the Fire Nation crown emblazoned over his head.

Everyone then waited patiently for what the Fire Lord was about to say.

Taking in a deep breath, Zuko said, "Today, we have been given the peace we all have been longing for as Azula has finally been thoroughly defeated. This victory could not have been possible without the efforts of a brave group of people who have come to us in our time of need. They have shown us that even though they are not of our world, their hearts lie with those who are just and sworn to protecting the innocent.

"Unfortunately, these people are no longer with us, but their legacy shall live on in the hearts of many. I can say with pride that these people are courageous warriors... as well as trusting friends. So today, we shall honour their name. Each person in every nation shall come to know the saviours of our world – the Storm Hawks!"

At that moment, four Earth Kingdom soldiers came forward while dragging something covered by a large sheet. It was then removed to reveal a stone tapestry. Carved on it were the images of the Storm Hawks striking poses. This monument was to commemorate everything they had done for the people of this world.

Everyone in the courtyard had then erupted in cheers when they saw the giant tapestry. Now was the time for celebration over the world finally attaining peace. As the cheering continued, Earth Kingdom soldiers released fireworks into the air that exploded in a rainbow of colours.

A tender feeling was now going around some of the people. Aang was joined with his friends, and he soon saw that Katara was coming closer to him. The boy also saw Suki getting closer to Sokka as well as Mai getting closer to Zuko. The girls then kissed the boys gently on the lips, and the boys did the same in return.

This was now the latest point in history where everyone would remember the people who came to this world by accident, and changed the lives of many for the better.

**THE END**

* * *

BlueTiger321: I can't believe it's over!

Junko: *crying* Why did it have to come to this?

Toph: Hey, at least Azula got the ultimate punishment.

Aang: Yeah, and now I'll never have to fight her ever again!

Aerrow: Whoa! That was some ending!

Piper: I think it ties everything up perfectly.

Sokka, Katara, Zuko: Yeah!

Stork: Can we please wrap this up? I _really_ wanna get back to my beloved _Condor_.

Finn: Oh, fine! Let's make Stork happy.

BlueTiger321: Well folks, I hope you all enjoyed it! So please remember...

Everyone: Read and review!


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